bmwor feb newsletter

www.bmwor.org.nznewsletter

february 2011

bmw owners register newsletter 2 february 2011


please noteAny material intended for publ ication in thenewsletter should reach the Ed itor no laterthan the 15th day of the month precedingpublication. The newsletter is an open forumfor all members. Views expressed bymembers may not necessarily represent theviews of BMWOR of NZ. Publication of allmaterial is subject to the Editor's d iscretion.Photos are courtesy of article authors unlessotherwise specified.

www.bmwor.org.nz

Send editorial copy to:Garry Williams177 Plateau RoadTe MaruaNew Zealand [email protected]

All other correspondence to:The SecretaryBMWOR of NZP O Box 109-245NewmarketAUCKLAND 1149NEW ZEALAND

PRESIDENTPeter Tibbs(06) 378 [email protected]

SECRETARYDavid Thomson(04) 238 [email protected]

TREASURERJean [email protected]

EDITORGarry Williams(04) 526 [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYJohn Wuts(06) 844 [email protected]

REGALIA OFFICERMalcolm & Sue [email protected]

president’s podiumWell, here we are in 2011. Where does the timego?The National Committee meeting held inWellington in early December was the firstoutside Auckland in more years than one couldpoke a stick at.One of the Executive’s goals for the year is tolook at ways in which the running of the Registerbecomes more efficient, does not preclude otherareas being represented at Executive level andreturns better opportunities to you as members.I suspect that this will require the Executive and

Area Reps to explore better forms of communication between those doingthe work and those enjoying the benefits, thus leaving the business side ofthe Register to the Executive. With the support of a truly national Executive,we can identify and maximise more opportunities for Area Reps to beinvolved in social activities going on in their area from which they cancommunicate and provide a platform for greater member participation inactivities within and outside their local boundaries.This requires a lot of work by your Executive and input from you in order tobring about necessary change to our current structure. We’ll requireworkshops that will include the Executive and Area Reps in order to developa solid base to function from well into the future.There has been much talk about the Annual Rally of late. Now that the2011 Rally has come and gone, I might take a brief moment to reflect onthe event. As there will no doubt be much more on this event in the Marchnewsletter, I will keep it very brief.We were treated to a little moisture here in the Wairarapa just prior, enoughto take some of the heat out of the ground. It was just as well as for thethree days of the Rally we were treated to typical Wairarapa weather. Thiswas only surpassed by an outstanding event. Pictures and personalaccounts of the rally will be published in next month’s newsletter.Ann and I would l ike to take this opportunity to thank all those who couldattend and the organising committee and sponsors for sharing a fantastictime with us.Following the Rally, I was fortunate enough to ride some of the way with acontingent of Hawkes Bay riders as they headed for home. Two smokostops on the way made for a great ride and time for a chat, as you do whenout and about on the bike, before turning back and heading for home inMasterton.The time has now come for us all to start thinking about the 2012 AnnualRally, which will be based in Cromwell and providing many the option ofstaging their own tours to and from Cromwell.We will be able to read more about the 2012 Annual Rally in thenewsletters from April onwards.Ann and I also recently took the opportunity to join in with the Rangitikeiriders on their annual picnic ride. I hope someone who took part in the ridetakes the time to write a piece for our newsletter. The ride and companywere simply fantastic. We covered around 550kms, I suspect about230kms more than those we had the pleasure to ride with.The Rangitikei ride was a great example of an opportunity to participatewith other areas and I would not have missed it for quids. Why not takeadvantage of the events calendar to mix with other areas?Let’s not forget — Wheels down feet up.Peter T


northlandEvery Sunday - Meet 10.00 am at BurgerKing, cnr Western Hills Dr and Selwyn Ave,Whangarei to go for a ride.Sunday 6 February - Dinner at EzumiJapanese Restaurant, 77 Bank Street,Whangarei at 7:00 pm. All welcome.

aucklandnote - Auckland rides start at varying timesand/or places. Please read event noticescarefully and, if in doubt, contact the AreaRide Organiser (Bwucie) on 09 268 1321for assistance. There is a rider briefing 5minutes prior to departure at which pointriders are expected to be ready to go, withbikes fuelled and bladders empty. Everyeffort is made to ensure that details ofevents are correct at the time of printing.Please check the website atwww.bmwor.org.nz for current informationon events or contact the Area Rep or AreaRide Organiser if you have any questions.Sunday 6 February - Waitangi Day, so itwill be the traditional Okoroire Pub Run.Golf clubs or fly-fishing optional, take yourown gear ;-) Leaving BP, SouthboundMotorway Service Centre, Papakura at9:30 am.

Introduction:

The BMW Owners Register is an organisation whose members join together for rides tonominated venues and for other social occasions. The organiser nominates the destinationand regrouping stages along the way, but otherwise has no influence upon the way that ridersbehave on the road. There is no element of organised competition in the rides.

Riding Code:

1. All register members on register rides shall do so as ind ividuals responsible for their ownsafety and shall take into account the safety of others they encounter on the ride.

2. Register members are responsible for ensuring that their motorcycles are in a safe and legalcondition, the minimum being to Warrant of Fitness standards.

3. Riders, pill ions, and sidecar passengers where required, shall have as a minimum StandardsNew Zealand approved motorcycle helmets, and stout footwear, gloves and clothing that willbe capable of protecting their body in the event of a mishap.

4. Register members are to go to the aid of any others suffering a mishap.

5. Ride organisers shall nominate the destination for the ride as well as any regroupinglocations or other stops. The organiser is not responsible for other riders’ behaviour or safety.

6. Riders shall ride at a speed and in a way that is comfortable for them. Do not ride outsideyour personal comfort envelope.

7. If a rider is unfamiliar with the route, they shall arrange to follow another rider who doesknow the way and who travels at a comfortable pace.

8. Riders who decide to travel as a group shall adopt a staggered riding formation such thatthere is an accepted following distance to the rider immed iately in front. A reasonablefollowing distance is indicated by a time of two seconds between riders for dry conditions,and longer for inclement conditions and on loose surfaces.

9. The Organiser and or the Register are not responsible for participants’ safety, and allparticipants participate at their own risk. All participants are aware that they are travelling onopen public roads and are responsible for their own safety and compliance with all Road Rulesand Laws.

BMW Owners Register Risk Management Plan

events calendar ~ meetings and events, north to south

Monday 14 February 2011 - MonthlyNational Committee meeting in the AnzacLounge, Petone Working Men’s Club, 47Udy St, Petone at 7:30 pm. Sign in notingBMWOR as your member club, take thestairs to the first floor, turn acute left andthe Anzac Lounge is in front of you. If you’dl ike to have dinner first, the CampbellTerrace Bistro, located on the ground floor,is open from 5:00 pm offering a range ofmeals and snacks from $7 - $20.Monday 14 March 2011 - MonthlyNational Committee meeting in the AnzacLounge, Petone Working Men’s Club, 47Udy St, Petone at 7:30 pm. Sign in notingBMWOR as your member club, take thestairs to the first floor, turn acute left andthe Anzac Lounge is in front of you.Saturday 2 - Sunday 3 April 2011 -BMWOR RAG Rally, Taylor MemorialLodge, Pokaka. Details and booking formon page 18.

BRONZ Ride Right, Ride Safe. A greatway to get to know your new bike. Usually3rd Sunday of the month at the WhenuapaiAirbase. Contact Peggy on (09) 638-9227or Finn on (09) 625-5533 for details.Learners - Rider Training & Basic SkillsTesting for learner l icense, Thursdayevenings @ A.M.C.C Club's premises inEllersl ie. For bookings and informationcontact: Craig (09) 444 6261Saturday 26/Sunday 27 February -TT2000 South Island, a long d istanceevent for those who like to spend a lot oftime in the saddle riding 2000kms over theweekend on some of the South Island’sbest roads. Contact Mike Hyde [email protected] or visit www.tt2000.orgfor details and registration.

bmwor national events

other events

bmwor area events

Monday 28 February - A 5-day HistoricSheep Stations Tour spnsored by KTM.This is a route sheeted and self-guidedadventure tour starting in Invercargill onFebruary 28th and finishing on FridayMarch 4th in Methven. All inclusive priceof $1990 per rider includes experiencedguides and backup team, 6 nightsaccommodation, all ride day meals,luggage transport and support vehiclealong with any land access and DOC fees.Numbers l imited by accommodationconstraints and landowner preference.Contact Robbie Crickett on (03) 448 9582or visit www.highcountry.co.nzSunday 6 March - Bikes BBQ & the Blues.11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Fort TakapunaReserve, Narrow Neck, Devonport,Auckland. There is no restriction on entryand exit times and re-entry is permitted.There’s a nominal $10 entry fee permotorbike which enters you in a great prizedraw, a free BBQ sausage and allows youto park in the event area and qualify forother spot prizes. Otherwise, there is NOcharge for riders and pill ions.Sunday 6 March - Ulysses AucklandRescue Helicotper Charity Ride. Starts10:00 am (arrive by 9:00 am please) fromthe NZ Bloodstock Centre, Karaka,Papakura off ramp. Route follows SouthernMotorway - Harbour Bridge - A.U.TAkoranga Drive. food and drinks availableat the Akoragna Campus. Enquiries toJayne on (09) 296 1107. Buy a badge for$10, and/or a T-shirt for $20 and go in thedraw to win vouchers from Motomail plusspot prizes.Monday 7 March - Southern Cross RoadRally. Start at Bluff, ride to Cape Egmont,then East Cape and finish at Cape Reingaon Friday 11 March. Entrants mustcomplete the whole course in order withinthe alloted 1 hour time windows at eachcheckpoint. Entry forms and moreinformation from Lee or Gail on (09) 4165866 or email [email protected] visit www.rustynuts.co.nz

Saturday 26 March - PukemanuAdventure Ride. One day ride coveringapproximately 300kms of gravel roads,sandy beach, farm tracks, forestry roadsand some tar seal. The route is rideabletwo-up for a competent rider. The ride isopen to all motorcycles with currentregistration and Warrant of Fitness.Comprehensive course notes are issuedand all participants must attend a safetybriefing and sign an indemnity form.Camping on site with meals provided.Contact Iona Gibbs on (06) 306 9868 orregister atwww.pukemanuadventureride.co.nz


Sunday 13 February - Little and local,south. After-match, grocery shopping thenburn a barbie, Chez Crowther, for the KerryRed Baron and Bwucie "almost birthday"bash. Leaving BP, Southbound MotorwayService Centre, Papakura at 9:30 am.Note: This run will incorporate a (gasp)dismounted walk-through workshopsession on road cornering, shiny sideup.Monday 14 February - See how the otherhalf l ive. Day ride to Wellywood for theCommittee Meeting, back on Tuesday.Leaving BP, Southbound MotorwayService Centre, Papakura at 6:30 am,putting the tent up 'somewhere', aimingto come home starting maybe 4:30 amTuesday, from 'somewhere'.Sunday 20 Febraury - Alternative toPaeroa Races for those who are convincedthat the only proper seat for road raceevents is on the sofa at home, in front ofthe box, with a beer inya paw. A little andlocal ride suitable for all sorts of machinesand/or riders; old ies, l ittl ies, new, bornagain, souped up, boyracers, girlracers, theworx. A picnic at Awhitu Regional Park,where the high tide happens to be at rightaround the time we'll be there. Sure, nosurf, and lots of oyster shell on thebeaches, but cooler than February's airtemperature, I bet. Leaving BP,Southbound Motorway Service Centre,Papakura at 10:00 am.Sunday 27 February - Ulysses Waikato/Child Cancer Foundation Toy Run. LeavingBP, Southbound Motorway Service Centre,Papakura at 8:30 am. This should put uson the road behind the Ulybods leavingBombay at the same time, and avoid lastyear's confusion. It seems impossible touse all those toys but if you have been amember of CCF, either as a patient orcaregiver, you will understand the toys goto benefit and support siblings as well aspatients - there is no such thing as toomany.Sunday 6 March - Ulysses WestpacFundraiser. The Auckland Ulysses massivebig charity run, in support of the WestpacRescue Helicopter. Never know when youmight need them yourself. Starting atKaraka Bloodstock Centre at 10:00 am,you will want to be there by 9:00 am to getyour badge, tee-shirt, etc. Those thatcongregate at the finish can take a shortride to a cafe for lunch, location to bedecided on the day.Sunday 13 March - Second annual SteveBell Kuaotunu Ice Cream Challenge. Lunch(and body-surfing) at Whitianga, ice creambefore completing the Coromandel Loop.Leaving BP, Southbound MotorwayService Centre, Papakura at 9:00 am.

waikatoSunday 20 February - Ride to Kawhia.Meet at Cambridge BP to depart at10:00am.

Sunday 13 March - Okoroire Bike Shed‘Eat and Meet’ ACC rider safety promotion.Make your own way to the Okoroire Hotelto arrive just before 12:00 pm. Go throughMatamata to Tirau where SH 27 ends atthe intersection with SH 1, turn left intoTirau and travel 200 metres. On your leftwill be two buildings shaped like a SheepDog and a Sheep (no kidding!), turn left atthe Sheep onto Okoroire Road and travel6.5kms to the Hotel.

bay of plentyWednesday 9 February - Social night atZeytins on the Strand, Tauranga from 7:00pm. Please note that this is a Wednesday,not Friday!Sunday 20 February - Club ride toWaitomo, meet at Shell Bethlehem at 9:30am. Look forward to seeing you there.

east coastMonthly gathering at the Rose &Shamrock, Havelock North. Last Tuesdayof each month from 6:30 pm onward.Sunday 13 February - ‘Round the Block’ride - Napier - Taupo - Taihape - back toNapier via Gentle Annie Road.

taranakiContact Area Rep for information on localrides.

rangitikeiSunday 13 February - Combined clubride with Well ington and Hawkes Baymembers to Linton Army Camp to play withsome big boys toys. All riders to meet atBP Linton 11:30 am sharp. Securityrequirements dictate that all riders mustgain entrance to the camp as one group,so it’s important that you are at themeeting point early. If you snooze you lose!Tuesday 22 February - Ride ‘n Dine.Details to be advised by email.

wellingtonSunday 13 February - Ride to LintonMil itary Camp and, if we are lucky, maybea ride in an Army LAV. Meet at BP Manafor a 10:00 am departure. Meet Ranigitikeiand Hawkes Bay members at BP Linton,ride to Army Camp at 11:30 am sharp. Nolate arrivals will be permitted access to theCamp.Saturday 12 March - Overnighter toOpunake, Taranaki. Enjoy the sights andsweeping bends of the Surf Highway.Accommodation at the Opunake Motel, 36Heaphy Road. Book your own, phone (06) 7618330 or email [email protected] range from $120 for a cottage,$100 for a double and $35 forbackpackers. Meet at BP Mana for a 9:00am departure. Lunch en-route.

nelsonSaturday 26 February - Weekend ride toReefton. Meet at Goughs yard, ThreeBrothers Corner at 3:00 pm. Overnightaccommodation your own responsibil ity.Sunday morning, a guided tour of thegoldmine has been arranged. Lunch inReefton then return to Nelson.Sunday 13 March - March ride to StArnaud, note: postponed by one week.

marlboroughContact Area Rep for information on localrides.

canterburyContact Area Rep for information on localrides.

otago/southlandContact Area Rep for information on localrides.

new membersThe BMWOR is pleased to welcomeour following new members:Darryl and Marleen Greenwood - LowerHuttNeil Sharpe - PukekoheMurray Applegate - RotoruaPeter and Elizabeth O’Keefe - PoriruaIan Reed - Well ingtonGeoff Kelly - Hanmer SpringsMike and Lyn Amphlett - HamiltonMichael Wylie - Waikanae

A warm welcome to you all. We hopeyou’ll take part in many of your localand national events. Your Area Repwill be pleased to introduce you toother members in your area. Also, wewelcome your contributions to yournewsletter.

Cover: BMW GS riders in thecompany of Invercargill Mayor TimShadbolt at Bluff after riding 12days from Cape Reinga incelebration of the 30th GSAnniversary.More about this amazingadventure on page 11.


area reportsnorthlandCompliments of the season toeveryone from the North. Not muchto report, I went to UlyssesChristmas dinner held at Mike andLorraine’s property on the north sideof Whatatiri mountain. What aspectacular veiw and an awesomefeed was had by all. That sameweekend I camped at Ross andSara’s, what a beautiful place.Darryl has accepted the position of2IC for the Area.This year we are going to trysomething a little different. Everysecond month we are heading to adifferent restaurant recommendedby different members. The first onewill be Ezumi Japanese Restaurant,77 Bank Street, Whangarei. This isSnow and Cath’s idea so thereforewe go to their choice first on Sunday6 February at 7:00 pm. Ray and Annwill be given next choice for April 3,also at 7:00pm.Recently, I went out to Onerahiairport with a couple of others to tryout some bikes AMPS brought up.Thats about it from me this month.Regards, Mac

brainstorming session, off the bikes,at the roadside, analysing a couple ofcorners to death to try and remind usall that what seems simple is madeup of a myriad of observations,decisions and control inputs. Thelack of any one component in thatprocess could result in your bikebeing shiny side down, and you in aditch facing disgrace and derision!You thought we'd all besympathetic? YEAH, RIGHT!Auckland used to flag organised ridesover the summer holiday period inthe BC (Before Crowther) years but,as I elect to work through so I cantake my leave in February or March,I've just kept the rides going andpeople have been happy to comewith me. Even on New Year's day wehad nine bikes for a little tootle upthrough the Twin Bridges to Kaikoheand home through the WaipouaForest - 600+ kilometres of greatriding.

aucklandroadsideworkshopA roadside workshop will beincorporated in the Auckland ‘l ittle andlocal’ ride on Sunday13 February. Theformat will be really simple, you’ll getOFF your bikes and walk a couple ofcorners and analyse them to death,considering:* how to observe* where to best place the bike, both tocomplete the corner comfortably and tobe defensive* what to do if you “cook” things or haveanother form of “buggah” moment.Participation is very welcome fromKlingons or BMWOR members outsidethe Auckland cachment, if you want tojoin in.Contact Bruce on (09) 268 1321 if youhave any queries.

aucklandNOTE! OUR AUCKLAND MEETINGIS AT THE NORMAL TIME,NORMAL PLACE, 14 FEBRUARY,VINTAGE CAR CLUBROOMS, 39FAIRFAX AVE, PENROSE. MIX ANDMINGLE FROM 7:30 PMBEFORETHE 8:00 PM MEETING.ROB HARGREAVES IN THE CHAIR(refer last paragraphs below).Busy, busy, busy. Apart from work, ofwhich there has been far too muchwhile many others were on holiday,the wheels have turned very, veryfrequently on the weekends andmuch ice cream has been sacrificedto the small god of motorcycling.Our 19 December ride was called offbecause of a cloudburst, which didn'tstop two adventurers heading off toWharepapa South for lunchregardless. I keep forgetting to askTony or Campbell just how wet theygot, but the memory of a rainy dayhas faded as the weather has beenglorious since then. Another ride wasshortened when one of our numbertook an excursion into theblackberries, an incident whichconcerned a few of us because therider couldn't put a finger on wherehe had made the mistake thatcaused him to come unglued. Aftersome cogitation, and recognisingthat we are all fallible humans(except the Editor and me, and I havesome doubts about him), I havearranged an open "corners"workshop to be incorporated in oneof our upcoming rides. It will be a

Auckland chaos theory of parking at the Twin Bridges, Waihi Beach

Rider-In-Charge doesn't know how wide hisbike is!

Photo courtesy of Arne Rohde.


We have saved a bit of money tooffset the cost of fuel by picnickingon a few rides instead of cafélunching. In fact, most seem to bequite happy to stretch out under atree by a beach and eat sarnies - itcertainly doesn't seem to affect thequality of the repartee at all.Oftentimes the wit is sharper thanthe cutlery.I am writing this the day after anouting to Waihi, which had a bit ofeverything. A pleasant ride downapart from me getting all confuggledby the new road layout to connect tothe approaches for the new KopuBridge and heading for Paeroainstead of Whangamata. My faithfulfollowers trailed me through (yetanother) ‘ewe’ turn and off again inthe right direction. I'll makeshepherds of them all eventually, theamount of ewe turning I create. Wegot over the Kopu - Hikuai Hill beforeit started to melt but before we gotanywhere near Whangamata theroad started to develop black starsand from then on the eyes wereworking overtime to try and avoid theworst of it.

At Waihi, I led everyone to Flat WhiteCafé, where we left the non-swimmers to have their lunch withArne, who just happened to belurking there. The rest of us headedoff to the Surf Club for (more) sarniesby the beach. I came home avoidingas much of the main roads as I could,which meant I also inadvertentlyavoided most of the gas stations so acouple of us got to the MercerService Centre running on 'E' forenough. A poor cage driver wastrying to get his late model BMW tofire up after he'd tanked up and itwasn't even trying to soundinterested. Poor fella was hot,stressed and getting annoyed. I'msure he wasn't amused when I toldhim his car was German rubbish andthat I wouldn't consider owning oneof them then immediately threw myleg over my own Bavarian MoneyWaster, punched the button and rodeoff. A couple of kilometres furtherand we were busy getting outside(yet another) Pokeno aftermatch icecream.I am not sure who will write thisreport for the March newsletter. RobHargreaves, who has far better

networks than me with the Register’s"old guard", is assuming the mantleof Auckland Area Rep. This is anevolutionary rather than revolutionaryarrangement.I will continue organising the ridesand encouraging my cronies to ridesafely, have fun and eat copiousamounts of carrot cake and icecream. I'm also going to establish an"Auckland Blog" (thought I wouldhave had it running by now, but it'sbeen a crazy busy few weeks). Thiswon't be particularly grandiose but itwill record the events that take placeat the Auckland meetings, for thebenefit of those that don't attend,and it will have RSS links for thebenefit of those who use NewsReaders. Depending on ouravailability, either Rob, me or both ofus may contribute to future AucklandArea reports. Rob will have to carry alot of the weight of the monthlymeetings being as they are on aMonday and finish way after mynormal bedtime. They tend to makeme feel sleep deprived for the rest ofthe week and I'm getting too long inthe tooth for that. (Everybody say,"Ahhhh! Poor old Bwucie.")Now that there are two of usinvolved, I can quote the twoRonnies, "It's goodnight from him,and it's goodnight from him." Keepthe shiny side up.Luv 'n' xxxxxxBwucie and Rob

waikatoBest wishes for 2011, I hope you allhad a good break over Christmas andNew Year.A new year is always a harbinger ofchange. I will be overseas for sometime this year, it would be a goodtime for a new Area Rep to take overin the Waikato. If you’re interestedgive the President a call.If you l ike long weekends away, makesure you get yourself on PeterLyner’s (Bay of Plenty Area Rep)email list. These weekends are a lotoff fun and I’ll certainly be going onsome of them.Make it the “Long Way Round” for2011.Cheers Jan


bay of plentyWith Christmas behind us, I wouldlike to you to look at the proposedweekend rides for 2011. These ridesare described in my Area Report inthe December/January newsletter.Please let me know what ridesinterest you and those that don’t,they are not set in concrete yet. Ihave cancelled the Mastertonweekend we were to have on 19/20February due to lack of interest.Hopefully this won’t be the trend forthis year.I spent a week travelling around NewSouth Wales in the first week ofJanuary on a rental F650GS twinalong with riding buddy Steve Hards.We flew into Sydney and hired thebikes from Bikescape then rodenorth by as many back roads inlandas we could find almost to Brisbanewhere we got rained off. I canthoroughly recommend this area ofAustralia along with the SnowyMountains of Victoria. Great roads,great scenery and great people. Ifyou are bored riding the same roadsat home, treat yourself and try somenew roads overseas.Our last social night in Decemberwas held in conjunction with CliveDominy’s 30/30/30 GS rider groupand went very well with very goodattendance. I take my hat off to thoseof you who entered the challengeand won, well done!Peter

rangitikeiThe Rangitikei 2010 Christmasfunction involved a ride to the BentHorseshoe Café in Tokomaru on 12December. After a stop atThomson’s Motorcycle Museum inPalmerston North, where we spentabout an hour admiring a wonderfulcollection of vintage motorcycles andassorted memorabilia and l isteningto Peter Truter recounting some ofthe history, we made our way toTokomaru. After enjoying theManawatu sunshine and partaking ofa few ales and wines, we weretreated to a traditional kiwi BBQ witha very pleasant musical backdropfrom a band of local musicians. Oncethe main course was done, wehanded out “Awards” where mostmembers were duly honoured forsome achievement (or indiscretion)in the past twelve months. All in all agood time was had by all.

For our picnic club ride in January Ithought that given everyone was stillin holiday mood, and trusting that theweather would be pleasant, weshould have a ride up the WanganuiRiver and stop at the restoredKawana Flourmill and Waterwheel fora picnic lunch. A group of 10,including four pillions, met at theShell service station in Sanson. Wewere very pleased to welcomePresident Peter and First Lady Ann. Ishall need to refer to them as such toavoid confusion with our own Peterand Ann Truter who were also on theride. Others included Mark and KarenGreer, Max Charlton, Dom (guest)and Joy and I.We headed off about 10:30 am onwhat started out as an overcast daybut developed into a very sunnyalbeit a l ittle windy day later. Westopped at Upokongaro to regroupbefore heading up the WanganuiRiver Valley Road. Some stunningscenery made up for the narrowtwisty road and we arrived at thelunch spot about 12:30 pm.Following some delicate bikemanoeuvring to ensure our steedsremained safely in an uprightposition, we headed down the short,steep track to the flourmill. It washere that the day’s fun began. Thoseof advanced age (and proud ownersof ‘Woolworths’ bladders) wereintrigued to discover that theablution facility consisted of onetraditional and rather aromatic longdrop. After a good look around theflour mill and a peek through thewindows of the restored Miller’sCottage, we settled down for lunch.First Lady Ann discovered that it isnot such a good idea to freeze acarton of Fresh Up in the hope that itwill have thawed and thereby providea chilled and refreshing lunchtimedrink. You guessed it, the drink wasstill semi-frozen and, much toeveryone’s amusement, Ann wasreduced to ‘milking’ the contents ofthe carton into her and PresidentPeter’s cups. It was about then thatMax imparted his handy hint that ifyou want to keep a drink cool youchill it then wrap it in wet newspaper.Works a treat.Over lunch it was suggested that wecontinue on up the valley to visit thehistoric settlement and church atJerusalem about 9 kms away. Withthe knowledge that the road waspossibly unsealed for about the last 6

kms, Mark and Karen decided thatthey would head back leaving eight ofus to carry on. I should explain nowthat of the five bikes that set tyres tothe unsealed road only two were ofthe GS genre, President Peter andme on our 1200GSs. The others,Peter and Ann Truter (R1100RT),Max (K1200RS) and Dom (ex policeR80RT) all deftly navigated the short,unsealed distance admirably though.After exploring the old historic churchand grounds, a unanimous decisionwas made (well, by the males in thegroup!) that since we had come thisfar it would be silly not to continue onup to Pipiriki and over to Ohakune fora well deserved coffee. Things weregoing great until we got to Raetihiand my good wife, Joy, asked exactlywhere we were. Needless to say shewas somewhat shocked to learn wewere this far north. Anyway, on toOhakune and a much neededrefreshment stop.Another group discussion took placeover coffee and we decided thatFields Track would be the mostinteresting route home, after all whoin their right mind would negotiateSH1 on an end of holiday Sunday!!As we turned onto Fields Track (ledby yours truly) a bright orangesignpost on the side of the road wentunnoticed. However, it wasreplicated several kilometres downthe road and said “Road Closedbetween 29th December until 10th

January due to storm damagerepairs” (remember today was the9th!). President Peter’s leadershipskills came into play. “Follow me” hedeclared and we rode off into theunknown in his wake. Afternegotiating a few ‘not too severe’road works we arrived at “The Holein the Cliff”. We made a slight detourdown a river track to get a closer lookat this manmade spectacle beforetravelling over SH4 (the Paraparas)and on to Fordell before arriving inPalmerston North at about 6:30 pm.We said our farewells after whateveryone agreed was a fantasticday’s ride. Overall we did roughly350kms during the day and I haveheard from President Peter that heclocked up a creditable 550kms forthe day.My thanks to all who came on theride, it was certainly a most enjoyableday.Robin


Got photos? Our resident BMWORarchivist, Paul Edlington, maintainsthe Register’s photo albums ofmembers and events and would likemore member contributions to thesocial fabric of our community.What you can contribute?We welcome all photos (electronicor printed) from members, inparticular from 1999 onwards, forthe Register’s photo archives.Please include the DATE, thePLACE and the NAMES of anypeople in the photograph.How can I send photos?You can digitalise your oldphotographs (present pictures arefine too!) and email them [email protected] or hardcopies of photos can be sent to:Paul Edlington61 Rosedale RdBrowns BayAuckland 0632Hard copies will be returned if aself-addressed, postage paidenvelope is included with theoriginal.

photo archiveseast capeHello to all in the BMWOR. By way ofintroduction as the new Area Rep forthe East Coast area, we are Derekand Karina Nowell-Usticke, farmerson the Napier-Taihape Road about20 minutes in on the Napier side ofthe Gentle Annie. I am one of theseborn again bikers aged 46. I have along association with BMW, althoughmainly with cars. One cannot go pastGerman engineering. If any membershappen to have a mishap on theNapier-Taihape Road, please call uson 06 8742447.I signed up to the Register in June2010 and decided to go to the AGM.Things I think gelled there for me. Wehave not had an Area Rep for theEast Coast for quite some time andthe Register is faced with an ageingmembership in a motorcycle marketthat is increasingly ageing as well.What I would l ike to do is give thisposition 12 months of effort, see ifwe can attract more members andhave a bit of fun. For god’s sake,these are the best motorcycles in theworld.Our December ride saw us meetingat the Bay View BP as we do for allnorthern rides. I had thought wewould have very few membersturnout but we ended up with eleven,only one with co-pilot in the form ofDave and Margaret on their PD. Thisman knows every back road fromGisborne to the Rimutakas.It was a lovely day for a ride apartfrom the fresh seal, it does tend tomake horrible noises in the discbrakes. Lunch was at Café 487, justsouth of Wairoa, a great place to stopthat looks out over the river.

The ride home was disappointing,well to me anyway, with everyonescattering and doing their own thing.Apart from the safety issues aroundmaking sure everyone gets home,surely one reason for belonging to abike club is riding together.Still, I’m looking forward to the nextride.Derek

wellingtonHappy New Year from Wellingtoneveryone. Our Christmas functionwas hosted at the Masterton Club inDecember and members enjoyed agreat afternoon of fun and feasting inglorious conditions.The region hosted the Annual Rallyin Masterton over the New Yearbreak. I for one enjoyed myself, theweather was fantastic and peopleappeared to be having a great time.Thanks to all involved in making theevent such a memorable one.We have some great rides plannedfor the year. We start the year with avisit to Linton Camp with our friendsfrom Rangitikei and the East Coastregions in February, followed by ourannual overnighter in March, thisyear to Opunake in the Taranakiregion. Look forward to seeing youall at some stage.Dave

Wellington members enjoying the ambienceof an outdoor setting at Masterton Club for

their Christmas lunch.


BMW MOTOR CYCLETOURS & HIRE

F650GS - R1200RDaily and long term hirerates available.We are a small nichecompany, operated bybikers, hiring late modelmachines to experiencedriders.Our tours range from:* 1 day Northland orCoromandel* 3 days East Cape* 5 days North Island* 14 days New Zealand.Tours can be guided orself-guided.For bookings or furtherinformation contact:John Mortimerm 021 936 114p +64 (0)9 478 [email protected]

otago/southlandQuite a lot of riding done since mylast report as we all try to make themost of summer.Our 12 December Christmas ridewas a great success with 14 bikesand 17 people riding into Kaka Pointon a lovely day. This is always a verypopular ride and it’s easy to see why.The roads are great and “The Point”provides excellent service and food,plus a novel seafaring ambiance andwonderful views out to sea. As usual,we had a mix of bikes with airheads,oilheads, and Ks all beingrepresented. It was great to catch upwith some members we haven’tseen for a long time and to welcomenewcomers who are about to join.After lunch and a yarn, it was back onthe bikes for the return home, mostlyon different roads.An Otago/Southland contingent ofMurray and Jeanette Petherick andme made the trip to the Annual Rallyin Masterton and what a great rally itwas! We all enjoyed ourselves very

much, the icing on the cake beingMurray’s R1150RT winning thePlowright Trophy for first place in theconcours d’elegance.The Wellington region did awonderful job with the Rally anddeserves all our thanks. Next year itwill be Otago/Southland’s turn tohost the Annunal Rally, which will bein Cromwell. More details will be inupcoming newsletters.In the meantime, it’s back to themore mundane with day rides. Ourfirst of 2011 will be to Arrowtown forlunch on Sunday 30 January.BarryOtago/Southland members gather for a pre-

Christmas ride to Kaka Point.

Letters to the EditorThis was our first Annual Rally with theBMWOR and, I have to say, we loved it all.Roy and I left Wellington at 11:00 am on 1January, decid ing that the somewhatinclement weather would clear so we didn’tbother putting on our wet weather gear.Unfortunately, the rain really set in half wayover the Rimutaka Hill and never gave upuntil after our arrival in Masterton. Westayed at the Chardonnay Motel and theowners were very helpful and dried our wetgear out for us. We recommend this motelto other travellers.The evening at the Masterton Club, openjust for Register members, was a wonderfulway to meet new people, and our meal wasreally good. One chef, two waitresses andone barman achieved a mammoth task byfeeding and watering us all.The Solway College staff were friendly andhelpful also. Trish, the Hostel Adminstratorat Solway College, even joined us on thetwo road rides as a pill ion. I’m sure it madeher weekend memorable too!We chose to lunch at the GladstoneVineyard on the first day and met up withthe rest of the group at the Gladstone Innlater. The weather was perfect for longchats in the garden there.

We were very lucky to have the SolwayCollege chef cooking the evening meals atthe Rally. We enjoyed really great food andit’s so good to be able meet with otherRegister members in relaxed, jovialsurroundings.Monday’s 400km road ride was anunbel ievably well planned trip, full ofsweeping corners and roll ing hills,surrounded by awesome countryside. Thepointing system was used and, I have tosay, this makes the travelling so simple andstraight forward without all the stoppingand starting waiting for everyone to catchup.Anne Tibbs did a fantastic job as ‘pointer’from the back of Peter’s bike and DavidOldershaw was our permanent ‘tail endcharlie’. Congratulations to you both forkeeping it simple and safe for us all.On arrival for lunch at the beautifulOruawharo Homestead it was great to seeevery one arrive safely, and empty trailers(no break downs in either the road or theGS groups).Our lunch was also a great meal, providedby very attentive staff, that we ate outdoorsin the big gardens under huge trees. Thishuge historical home has a colourfulhistory, which was told to us by themanager Peter Harris. Well worth the visit.

The return journey was as exciting as thefirst half with more back country roads andwonderful scenery.Our final Rally meal that night was a BBQcooked by the Solway College Board ofTrustees in the school grounds. Again, thefood was plentiful and the companywonderful with lots of laughter.To the Rally Committee who worked sohard, a huge THANK YOU from us both.We are looking forward to Cromwell nextyear.CheersDenise and Roy Carr


In February 2010, Justin Ryan,Canterbury member and generalgood sort, started on about it beingthe 30th Anniversary of BMW’s GSmodel and that there wasn’t muchhappening in New Zealand tocelebrate such a milestone. The yearbefore, mad bugger that he is, Justincycled from Cape Reinga to Bluff(straight down SH1 mind you) andthought that doing it again over acouple of weeks on a GS, keeping offthe main roads as much as possible,might be just the ticket – and weshould invite as many people with GSbikes as we could find. It’s a big askto take several weeks away from jobsand family and, having had a bit ofinvolvement with BMW Safaris of oldand other such adventures, therewas also a thought in the back of mymind about just how hard it isorganising this type of thing forothers. I didn’t think Justin would geta lot of starters but I offered to helpwith a route for the lower half of theNorth Island if he went ahead.To prove me completely wrong,Justin ran a survey on his blog siteand suggested I run an article in theBMW Owners Register newsletter togauge interest. There was certainly alot, in fact over 80 responses, with afew from the US, UK, Australia andGermany. What the hell, we set a dateof Sunday 14 November to start atCape Reinga and started planninghow we’d get everyone to Bluffaround the time of the Burt MunroeRally later in the month. We alsodecided to run it as a fund-raiser tomake it really worthwhile, our goal toraise $20,000 for the WestpacHelicopter Rescue Trust.It didn’t take long to realise the planwas to ride many great roads andtracks I’d ridden at one point or otherover the last decade. To do them all in12 days was an opportunity to goodto miss, so I signed on as a starter for‘top to toe’. As it happened, becauseI had done much of the route wewere taking, I ended up leading quitea bit of the trip.

With lots of tasks divvied up betweenhelpers, it didn’t take too long for theroute to get sorted, preferredaccommodation arranged and otheractivities sketched out for where weplanned to stop. There was nocharge to join in; anyone who wantedto come was just left to invitethemselves, sort out what bits theywanted to do, make ferry bookings,sort accommodation and anythingelse they required. Good thinking!We got sponsorship for ‘give aways’and other various bits and piecessorted over a couple of months, ourfundraising site set up and mediareleases out; trying to drum up asmuch awareness and support wecould to make this a worthwhilefundraising event.And, all of a sudden, it was time togo!The ride northSouth Island riders Justin, JeffLouwman, David Caesar, StuartCaulder and Mark Taylor turned up atour place in Upper Hutt on theThursday evening so we could set offnorth with Ian Reed and his partnerKelly, also from Wellington, early onthe Friday morning. We’d plannedtwo days to get up to Cape Reinga.We covered 733 kilometres on thefirst day, crossing the wind farm atthe top of the Tararua Ranges and,because Justin had never been thatway before, the Forgotten Highwayfrom Stratford to Ohura, stopping offat the Whangamomona Hotel ofcourse. After drinks, we chargedacross to and up SH3 to Malcolmand Sue Sargent’s place in TeKauwhata for the night. Our fantastichosts put on a great BBQ for us, witha well stocked fridge adding to theoccasion. Malcolm has the ultimatehouse/garage combination, 1/3house and 2/3 workshop!The next morning we were expectedat Experience BMW in Auckland for aBBQ breakfast and, just beforeleaving, Mike Amphlet from Hamiltonarrived. We bade farewell to Sue(Malcolm joined us for the ride toAuckland) and set off to take on thedreaded Auckland traffic. We tried tostay together as best we could, apretty poor effort really, but by thetime we came back throughAuckland later in the week we were awell organised bunch.

Many riders joined us here; some forthe day, others for a few days andothers making up the core group ofriders intending to finish in Bluff,including Ian Sowden, ColinJackson, Mark Roberts, Rod Russell,Nigel Everett, Pete Rogers and CliffJones.As Justin had never seen TaneMahuta, we shot up SH16, took a leftat the bottom of the Brynderwynsand rode through the Waipoua Forestbetween Dargaville and Kaikohe.While the tree is mighty impressive,it’s the road in and out that’s special,especially as we only encounteredabout five cars the whole way.After crossing the Hokianga Harbourat Rawene, and a spirited run overthe Mangamuka Hill, we got to RoscoPennell’s place north of Awanui atabout 7:00 pm. We got a greatreception from him and Raewyn andfriends, Tim and Sharon Brody andGrahame and Elaine Irving up fromAuckland, and Dora, a visitor fromHungary. All were involved in thepreparation of a fantastic threecourse meal for 20 or so hungryriders.The night ended with a long briefingincluding how the ‘corner man’system of Lead Rider, Sweeper andTail End Charlie worked. We wereinterrupted when Keith Dore (alsofrom Christchurch) turned up havinghad bike problems near Hamilton.Luckily he was ‘loaned’ an R1100GSwhile his R80 was repaired.On Sunday morning, we left Rosco’sfor the short run to Cape Reingawhere we met up with Alex Allen andTim and Jim Denham to start ourjourney proper.The best bitsIt was a moving scene at CapeReinga with 23 bikes, their riders andthose riding pillion gathering at thebase of the l ighthouse for a blessingfrom Ngati Kuri elders beforeheading south on our first leg ofabout 198 kilometres, a quiet day toease everyone into it.Quite a few of the guys didn’t havemuch off road experience (or none atall) and a few asked if I’d show themthe basics before we got onto 90Mile Beach. So, just before Te PakiStream, I took a brief AdventureRiding 101 course; how to pick abike up (going to need that one),setting up, how and why you stand

GS Anniversary RideWords: Garry Williams


on the pegs, etc. It paid off too. Oneof the most pleasing aspects of thewhole trip for me was to watch theseguys apply what they were learningand grow in confidence andcapability over the next 12 days.We are blessed to have such greatriding in New Zealand and we hadjust the best weather. We had twodays where it rained down south, ahail storm in Kurow and coppedsome snow on top of the DunstanRanges. Otherwise it was hot andsunny, especially up north.Each part of the country held its ownattractions for me. In the Far North itwas mainly the feeling of freedom on90 Mile beach and the roads aroundthe Hokianga Harbour, simplystunning! We stopped for brunch atthe Helena Bay Gallery and Café. It isthe nicest place I’ve ever stopped toeat; the view from the deck up thevalley is outstanding.The Waipu Caves are amazing andall the gravel on the western side ofthe Brynderwyn Hills was justoutstanding. The evening will also bememorable as motorcycle racinglegend Graham Crosby dropped infor a chat at the Leigh Sawmill Café.Closer to Auckland, the entry toMuriwai Beach at Rimmers Roadwas really hard work for some. Thesand is very soft and the dune to getto the beach requires somecommitment. It was the first realchallenge of the trip but showed how

willing everyone was to help eachother out. We were forming quite aclose knit team by then.From the Bay of Plenty, we enjoyedabsolutely stunning riding throughthe Pongakawa Valley and around thecentral lakes. Lake Rotoma lookedespecially gorgeous and it wassublime riding in the UreweraNational Park around LakeWaikaremoana, with a dip in the lakeat the end. Man it was hot! WaihiRoad, up over one of the Landcorpstations, afforded amazing viewsfrom the top of the Panekiri Range onour way down to Napier.Todd, from Motomart, had boughtanother 17 riders up to Napier tomeet us and it was great to havesuch a large contingent join us forthe last leg of the North Island. TheHawkes Bay offered up Middle Roadfrom Havelock North, great gravel toPorangahau, a brief stop at theWimbledon Hotel, lunch at WaihiFalls and more stunning gravelacross the Puketoi Range viaCoonoor and Pori Roads on our wayto Wellington. A couple of theWellington riders joined us for thetop of the South Island, and PeterBates joined us for the rest of thetrip.You can’t argue with a ride overQueen Charlotte Drive on arrival inthe South Island. It’s not a bad way towarm up your tyres with 360 cornersin 40 kilometres before the second

‘challenge’ of the trip, the oldMaungatapu Road from PelorousBridge to Nelson. Some found itquite tough going. I suspect this willbe the part of the journey that peoplewill remember and talk about for along time yet.Heading south on Rainbow Stationwas just fantastic. There was justenough rain (first of the trip) to keepthe dust down too. NorthCanterbury’s Pyramid Valley is veryscenic and it’s here you’ll findMacdonald Downs Station,alternative access to the stunningLees Valley Road over to Oxford. Asalways, Lees Valley was justgorgeous with some very fast gravel.Further off the beaten track towardthe top of the Rakaia Gorge, the rideacross Glenfalloch Station (despite acouple of punctures) andneighbouring Lake Heron Stationfollowed by Mackenzies Pass and aride across Black Forest Station wasthe highlight of the trip for me. Theview from the summit wasoutstanding. We were lucky with theweather; it held out all the way toLake Benmore before a cracking hailstorm.Danseys Pass was brilliant despite avery chilly drizzle. I’ve never seen theroad in such good condition and thegrip on the freshly laid limestone wasjust phenomenal.Any day in Central Otago is a goodday. We enjoyed a cut lunch providedby our hosts in Waipiata at the baseof the Poolburn Dam on the tripacross the southern end of the Rock

Adventure rider training 101

GS bike park - Muriwai BeachGarry and Graham ‘Croz’ Crosby

Justin and Garry view Lake Waikaremoana

Justin gets a wake up on Lake Heron station


and Pillar Range (on the Old DunstanRoad) before heading onto Clydeand over the Nevis. As Tail EndCharlie I saw a lot of the Nevis valleyand some bikes got dropped in its 25fords. Some were deep too; Justin’sbike took a bath and wouldn’t startagain afterwards. He had it sorted inhalf an hour or so but it did require aroadside oil change shortly after.Another highlight was the barge tripfrom Sunshine Bay taking the bikesacross Lake Wakatipu to Walter PeakStation in the morning. All the riders,except four of us, were left inQueenstown to relax and catch the1:00 pm water taxi across the lake.The 2 hour barge trip was cool, withSkipper Phillip giving us the rundown on local history.It’s an amazing ride out to MavoraLakes from Walter Peak Station. It’s awell swept gravel road with longstraights, very hot though with a lot ofdust.Highlights from the Southland legincluded following the Aparima Riverfrom the Takitimu Ranges across themain road then down the westernflank of the Taringatura Hills. Weenjoyed brilliant Southland sceneryall the way down to Otautau thenthrough Gropers Bush to Riverton,the oldest town in New Zealand, forafternoon tea.We travelled the last 37 kilometres toBluff in the company of Mayor TimShadbolt and the press contingentfrom the Southland Times (and in therain). Tim was on a TriumphBonneville, but that’s okay.

The not so good bitsInjuries on any ride are never a goodthing. Unfortunately Mark had an offat the Waipapakauri exit from 90 MileBeach and broke his collarbone;back to Christchurch on the first dayby other means for him sadly.Nigel had a pretty spectacular off onthe old Maungatapu Road and wassore enough, and his bike not wellenough, to call it quits and head backto Auckland.Suffice to say for some, not a greatchoice in attempting theMaungatapu (despite it being in thecategory of ‘best bits’) when analternative route was offered; it tookus more than four hours to do 35kilometres. Several of us spent a lotof that time picking up other bikesand riding different bikes to thesummit (then walking back to get ourown) - it was about 30 degrees thatday!Punctures! I got two in the space ofabout 1 km heading into GlenfallochStation. Of course, it just happenedto be one of the days I was Tail EndCharlie and being at the back you’repretty much on your own if things gowrong. I had the tools and fortunatelythe know-how, but it took time (and itwas raining) and I didn’t get to dinneruntil about 9.00pm. I got two moreover the next two days but got greathelp from McLarens Machinery inRanfurly and O’Kanes Garage inMossburn respectively, neither ofwhom would take money for theassistance. Good one!

Bikes lined up during a visit to Waipu Caves (Photo courtesy of Peter Zink)Thanks a bunchMy thanks go to Justin, who was justso determined to make this happen,and the guys (and girls) who took thetime to come with us. A better bunchof people to ride with you could notask for. We had loads of help frompeople like John Nicholson,adventure organiser extraordinaire,who helped out with the route in theFar North and Darryl Rowe-Mitchellfrom Mount Motorcycles whosuggested a route from Tauranga toNapier; unfortunately neither wasable to join us on the ride. RowanParkes from Wellington sorted andled the Napier to Wellington section,Sam Rowntree helped out and ledfrom Picton to Glenfalloch Stationand David Caesar arrangedeverything from Queenstown to TeAnau, including the barge that gotthe bikes over Lake Wakatipu.BMW New Zealand’s John Glasswell,Area Manager Motorcycles, and theBMW dealer network really gotbehind us with fantastic supportduring the trip. We did approachBMW Motorrad Australia for supportbut all we got was, “It just soundslike a bunch of guys going for a ride”,which, let’s face it, was pretty muchit.We also enjoyed the support of theBMW Owners Register of NZ andover 20 businesses; too many to l isthere, but thanks to all.Of the 17 adventurous souls whostarted at the top with the intentionof getting to Bluff, 16 made it. At onetime we had more than 45 bikes onparts of the journey. We covered3,539 kilometres from top to bottom(just over 6,400 kilometres for theround trip), met some amazingcharacters on the way, saw much ofthe country that not a lot of otherpeople get to see, made some newfriends and donated over $16,000 tothe Westpac Helicopter Trust. Would I do it again? With these guys,in a heartbeat!

Ian and Stuart, slightly confused. A most excellent bunch - cheers!


It all started with the 2005 BMWOR30th Anniversary Rally in Auckland. Ihad, in the previous year, looked at a1954 R51/3, a bike identical to one Iowned in the late 1950s, but it wasfar too expensive for my moremoderate means. I guess they aregetting pretty rare these days.When I spied an Earles-fork-sprungBMW sidecar outfit at the gatheringof bikes outside Experience BMW’sformer Newtown premises on the240km ride to replicate the first rideof the Owners Register in 1975, Iwent over to the good peoplestanding next to it and talked tothem, as you do. They were Stephenand Heidi Pope, Register membersfrom Maungaturoto, north ofAuckland. We exchanged contactdetails and, to cut a long story a littleshorter, Stephen had one project toomany in his shed. It was a 1964 R60/2 with matching frame/enginenumbers in 1000 bits, mostly inboxes. This was the bike I had lustedafter as a young man, when I did infact own an older R51/3, and many ofmy mates had this current model. Ilater had the opportunity to ride andappreciate R60s extensively duringsix years in the NSW Police Force.My wife Prue took some convincingthat this was the right thing for me todo as I would be retiring at the end ofthat year and money would be inshorter supply. I must haveconvinced her because in early April2006 we motored up toMaungaturoto – what a beautiful

spot! Stephen led us into hisspacious shed where his outfit andother BMW bikes and parts of bikesresided. Inspection showed that theR60 was as complete as could beascertained from an examination ofthe boxes, checking for things liketwo wheels, headlight shell andbrackets (they are referred to as‘ears’ in the German parts catalogs Ihave since obtained!), seat,mudguards, etc. It was obvious thatthere were no exhaust headers but anice pair of Kiwi-made stainless steelmufflers of the correct pattern wasincluded in the deal. We hadpreviously agreed on a price. Afterremoving the rear wheel from theframe, the 200kg of bits and pieceswere packed into the boot and rearseat of the old Mercedes 350 SE andwe journeyed home to Hawke’s Bay.The following day I unpacked mytreasure trove we’d travelled so far tobring home. There were partseverywhere! I took notice that uponfirst inspection the frame had lookedvery good, but it became obvious

that a previous owner had taken tothe ball fitting welded to the right-hand rear of the frame for mounting asidecar with a hacksaw, didn’t evenbother to clean up the site with a fileor grinder, splashed a bit of paint overthe stub and left it there. Sacrilege! Iwould have to deal with that later.I repacked everything, storingsensitive mechanical components inboxes and coated in oil, for futureattention. My first task was tocontact ‘BMW Tradition’ regardingdetails of this particular bike. It turnedout the bike was made on 8 May1964 and exported to Pratts, theBMW dealers for Melbourne, Victoria,Australia on the 11th of that month.No amount of research reveals whenand by whom it was brought to NewZealand but it was last registered in1979 to someone in Karamea.That was the beginning of what wasto be a long journey to getting thevenerable bike back onto the road.There were many parts to besourced and their suppliers to befound, special tools to be made and/or obtained, other parts to be re-conditioned or restored to often as-new condition. ‘BMW Tradition’ wastotally forthcoming in supplying me,at no cost, with a complete set ofworkshop and repair instructions andspecifications, including specialtools needed, as well as the completeowner’s instruction manual. Throughacquaintances I found websitesspecialising in the /2 BMWs and wasable to import some ingeniousspecial tools made by an expert inthe Earles-fork BMWs – he ran adealership and repair shop in the‘60s – from the United States. Othersites that dealt with these modelswere located in Germany, as onemight expect, and being a nativespeaker certainly helped, eventhough I have next to no technicallanguage having learnt most of thatin Australia and later in New Zealand.

ressurection of a finemotorcycle words/photos: Folker Liebenow

An outfit at a rural fair in Germany almost identical to Stephen’s, with an R75 engine andgearbox, except of course the sidecar is on the right.

The treasure trove, spread out on a blanket on the front lawn.


Prue and I had planned a trip toGermany and UK for May 2007 tovisit our respective relations and ourson in London so I had to juggle andargue to buy some parts while inGermany. Frankfurt, where one of thebusinesses (Ulis Motorradladen) islocated, was one of our ‘visit mycousins’ destinations. As an aside,we visited Northern Ireland, whereour daughter-in-law’s father, whocame to New Zealand as a four-year-old, was born, again for visiting therelations. The highlight wasattendance at the Northwest 200where New Zealand’s Bruce Ansteywon three out of the four events heentered and of course we paidtribute to the late and great JoeyDunlop at his statue in his hometownof Ballymoney.Money was a little short after ourreturn but I none-the-less completelydisassembled both engine andgearbox in order to have the casings,heads, rocker covers and remainingcovers, which were visually verybadly affected by weathering,sandblasted, treating them withsilicone spray and a further surfaceprotection upon completion. Thegearbox input shaft had splines wornso thin you could l iterally cut yourselfon them but I was not able to procurea new one at the time. So the oldshaft had to be built up and groundto suit the new clutch supplied withthe bits – a perfectly sound solution.New bearings and seals were noproblems, all bearings and sealsused by BMW at that time beingstandard items.The engine rebuild proceeded at thesame time and went relativelysmoothly but I found I needed to usethe German Language section of themanual much more as the Englishsection translation had some curiousturns of phrase I found hard to copewith, concerning particularly theinstallation of the crankshaft.

Again, all new bearings wereinstalled as well as new seals, alsonew pushrod tubes and seals forthem. The only non-standard itemthus far had to be larger studs to holdthe cylinder barrels to the crankcase,as some predecessor had probablystripped the originals out of thecrank case, instead of installinghelicoils. Aw well!Among the parts bought from UlisMotorradladen was a ball fitting toreplace the one butchered asmentioned earlier. I had neatlyground the old one off its site andwelded on its replacement – you’dnever know! The frame was thensandblasted and powder coated inblack.

In the meantime I had looked on theinternet at many pictures of what anR50 or R60 should look like whenthey’re all done - bike porn, as Prueused to say. Both bikes are visuallyidentical, with the exception of thecooling fins, the R60 fins coming toa point front and back, compared tothe R50’s rounded shape. To thatextent I downloaded one particularpicture of an R69S in Dover White, acolour BMW used on some of itscars at the time. It was one of just afew to be exported to the US in thatcolour and a print of this is on thecorkboard in the kitchen to remindme of what the final result shouldbe.

The newly re-conditioned gearbox ready tobe closed.

The ‘new’ engine, newly bored barrels with new pushrod tubes and seals.

The front fork, handle bars and steering damper (assembled on blankets on the kitchen table).The whole assembly makes a fine picture.


By late 2007, I had done most of thework to put together a roll ingchassis, ready to install the gearbox –engine unit. The external of the backplate of the front brake assembly hadbeen painted black by a previousowner. Why? I don’t know, so wasstripped and cleaned, new bellowsfor the universal joint of the driveshaft were installed and the wholething started to look a bit like MrBMW would have wanted it to look.A trip to Australia later in 2007 putmost further work on the backburner,particularly as Prue wanted her sliceof the cake in the form of a newhorse and a vehicle to pull the float,

the old Mercedes being too good towreck for that work; they weren’tmade for that, they were made tocruise the Autobahn at 180km/h!Early in 2008 it became clear that allwas not well with Prue and she diedfrom primary liver cancer in lateNovember 2008, leaving meshattered and really not being able toget anything constructive done at allduring 2009.In December/January 2009-10 I tooka trip to UK to celebrate Christmaswith our son and to Frankfurt/Germany to be at my only remainingaunt’s 95th birthday, again stoppingat Ulis Motorradladen, where I was

just in time to see a beautifullyrestored R68, BMW’s sports bike ofthe day and only some 300 made,being loaded into a l ittle truck, Italy-bound. They love their BMWs there.Talk about salivating! I took theopportunity to buy a set of exhaustheaders, which arrived at homebefore I did.As one might expect, not all aspectsof the restoration went smoothly.When I first tried the kick starter,necessary for l ittle things like turningthe engine over for tappetadjustment in the first instance, thelever would not return to its startposition. After removing the gearbox

The front brake back plate is now clean (left) and the frame and final drive has newly welded sidecar mounting fitment (right).


and opening it up, I found that thegasket fitted between the end coverand the casing was too thin, causingthe quadrant to rub against thegears. Talk about fine tolerances! Imade a new gasket from thickergasket material I had. Problem fixed.Once everything was assembled andback in the frame, I found that theclutch would not disengage. A checkup in the workshop manual showed adrawing, which I hadn’t noticed, of aset of spacers fitted when a 9mmfriction plate is used, none when it isthe 7mm variant. Of course I had the9mm variant and no spacers.Out with the gearbox, i.e. removerear wheel, then mudguard, finaldrive with brake linkage first. Soundssimple, and it is, but it takes precioustime. Disassembly of the clutch nextand then measure and scrounge25mm x 2mm flat section steel frommy neighbour. Accurately make sixidentical spacers with neat holes,necessary for balance, andreassemble everything in reverseorder. This time the clutch works! So,on with the final drive and all theother bits and I am another stepalong the way. Whew!I had ordered a new cover from Ulisfor the dilapidated seat, and it comeswith the strap. Someone before mehad had it re-covered, veryunauthentic and poorly done, no

strap. The metalwork was quite rustyand the original foam haddeteriorated badly and needed tohave its contour re-sculpted.Removal of the old upholstery waseasy and cleaning up the framestructure went well. I undercoatedand painted it with good qualityautomotive black and it was ready togo to the upholsterer. I had alreadyhad business dealings with anupholsterer I would trust. I gave himpictures of a couple of well-presented original looking seats I

had downloaded and was verypleased with the final result,particularly after I fitted thealuminium decorative strip and thestrap, all part of the original look. Uliseven sent me a second hand‘Denfeld’ maker’s plate, visible at therear of the seat, for that authenticlook.I’m approximately 75% of the waythrough this resurrection. The bike isat the auto electrician at the momentprior to its first run since 1979. I’ll letyou know how that goes.

Newly covered seat, with strap!


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registerbusinessMinutes of the National Committeemeeting held 13 December 2010 at theresidence of the Secretary, 36 HalladaleRoad, Papakowhai, Porirua.Meeting commenced: 8:00 pmAttendance: 18 Members.Apologies: 5 Members.Welcome and opening statementfrom President Peter Tibbs: Peterwelcomed members to the first ofthe National Committee meetings tobe held in Wellington. He explainedthat the recent appointment of aWellington based President andSecretary necessitated the changeof National Committee meetingsfrom Auckland to Wellington.Minutes previous meeting: TheMinutes of the meeting 8 November2010 as published in the Decembernewsletter were confirmed as a trueand correct record. (Gibbons/Tibbs).Matters arising: NilCorrespondence: Correspondenceincludes new membership material,bills to pay and overseas BMW Clubmagazines. Magazines were availablefor perusing at the meeting.Garry Williams enquired why the mailwas not being redirected to theSecretary. David Thomson advisedthat the Treasurer was handlingredirection of the mail and thatsystem appeared to be working tointerested parties’ satisfaction.President’s report - where to fromhere? President Peter presented hisview on the future path of theRegister. He sees the role of theRegister as being to promote eventsfor members that are fun and aboutriding motorcycles, not beingbogged down in process. He is keento make full use of the Executive inmanaging the day to day affairs of theRegister. He wishes to get Area Repstogether annually to share ideas andvision. He sees a need to continuethe move towards a fully nationwideexecutive structure, supported by theConstitution.Some new expense will be incurredin getting Area Reps and theExecutive together during each year.He hopes that the National

Committee will support suchinitiatives. The National Committeediscussed the benefit of PresidentPeter putting forward a budget forthese activities, which can then beconsidered prior to the incurring ofsuch expenses. Jo Bucknerquestioned whether proposedmeetings of Reps and the Executivecould be facilitated through the useof technology. President Peterresponded that in the first instancehe is keen to have face to facemeetings, after which technologymight be appropriate to conductdistance meetings.Treasurer’s Report: A full reportwas received from Treasurer JeanGibbons. Noted (Morris/Buckner).Bank Account balance $4,792.61Term Deposit $45,939.10Treasurer noted PayPal as requiringfurther work before it meets theneeds of the Register. Referred toNational Executive for action.Editor’s Report: Editor GarryWill iams commented that he hasplenty of material for the magazinefor the next 2-3 months. He islooking to place some of his materialon the website and not replicate it inthe Newsletter, where appropiate.Membership Report: MembershipSecretary John Wuts provided awritten report. (Noted Thomson/Croasdale).John reported that it has been aquiet month for renewals and newmembership.President Peter and John areinvestigating the purchase of alaptop for the Membership Secretaryto run the membership database.The licence for the database runsout in 2013. National Committeeapproved purchase of a laptop, inprinciple, with final costs to bebrought back for approval.Regalia Report: Regalia OfficerMalcolm Sargent provided a writtenreport. (Noted Thomson/Boyes).Malcolm reported that he has a goodstock of all items except key rings.The process of purchasing regaliavia the website is being streamlined,which will benefit everyone. As wellas regalia, he has been involved insupplying stickers for the 30 year GSride and he has some of these

stickers in stock – they look greatand he recommends all GS riderspurchase 1 or 2, or a dozen!The National Committee noted thatMalcolm also printed Annual Rallysigns as well as the GS AnniversaryRide material at no cost to theRegister. The Committee expressedits thanks for his generosity andexpertise.Annual Rally Report: CoordinatorDavid Thomson gave a verbal reporton planning for the 2011 Rally.General BusinessReport on proposed Federation ofMotorcycle Clubs: Wellington AreaRep Dave Oldershaw attended theinitial meeting, on behalf of theRegister, called by the Ulysses Clubto discuss the formation of a nationalforum to speak on motorcyclematters. This move arose from theACC issues of last year and theperceived need for a lobby group.There is to be a second meeting inFebruary, which will be attended byDave and President Peter Tibbs. TheNational Committee authorised Daveand Peter to speak for the Register.Garry Williams commented that theproposed forum undermines thework of BRONZ and the Register willeventually need to decide whether itwants to affiliate itself with such aforum. Until such time as terms ofreference are sorted out it is still tooearly for the Register to investigatefurther.Roy Carr asked if the Register hadany specific opinions at the momentto take forward. Garry responded thatat the moment the discussions areonly about the formation of such alobby group.Annual Calendar: Secretary Davidadvised that he was investigating thebest way to run an ongoing 12-month calendar of events. Each AreaRep has her/his own method ofpromoting events, and perhaps therewas opportunity for all plannedevents to be included in a nationaldocument for display on the website.Website: Garry Will iams advised thatthe main issue is the “shop” feature,specifically setting up a “PayPal”account. He has a contact willing todemonstrate our “not-for-profit”status, which should meet PayPal’scompliance needs and that shouldsolve our problems. He believes we


will then be free to relinquish ourEftpos facility on expiry of the currentcontract. New host, DOMAINZ, andcontractor Dave Cohen have done anexcellent job with the upgrade andwe have met our commitments toBMW Clubs Internationalrequirements with the latestchanges.North Island RAG Rally: PresidentPeter is organising the RAG Rally.Dates confirmed as 2/3 April 2011,the last weekend of daylight savings,and to be held at Pokaka, same siteas last year. Cost to be confirmedbefore advertising in the nextnewsletter.30th GS Anniversary: Membersexpressed an interest in how the30th GS Anniversary celebrationswent. Garry reported that he heardthe 30-30-30 ride being run out ofthe Bay of Plenty was a hugesuccess. The off-road ride from CapeReinga to Bluff was outstanding andan article would be forthcoming inKiwRider in Febraury or March. Therehas also been a request from ClubsInternational for material and theywill be running an aricle in the firstClubs International newsletter of thenew year. Members suggested itwould be good to see an article in ourown newsletter. Garry is to oblige.AGM 2011: The Executive is lookingat whether the Rugby World Cup willimpact on the availability ofaccommodation in Taupo in October.If it looks OK, Taupo will beconfirmed as the site of our AGMagain.Venue for Future Meetings:Options for a permanent meetingplace are being considered byPresident Peter. Aiming to be in placefor the February meeting.Meeting closed: 9:40pm.


Roadside Assistance for yourMotorcycleJourney On offers a 33% saving toall BMW Owners Registermembers.Visit www.journeyon.co.nz click onthe “buy now” icon and enter thecode BMWOR in the Promo Codebox or give Journey On a call on0800 888 247 for more information.

interislandtravelBMWOR members receive adiscount when travelling on theInterislander*If you’re planning on crossing theCook Strait, whether it’s on a bike orin a car, then contact your Area Rep,the Secretary or the Editor for theRegister’s group booking referencenumber. Quote this reference whenyou make your booking throughInterislander Groups.Phone 0800 878 898 or [email protected] duringnormal business hours.* discount not avaialable during peakseason from 16 December to 31 January.


Marketplace is a service for members of BMWOR of NZ. Advertisements will be accepted frommembers, commercial traders and non-members when it is considered in our members’interest to do so. No charge is made for Marketplace advertising. The Editor and Executivereserve the right to reject or modify any advertisement considered inappropriate and take noresponsibility for errors or omissions, the quality of items, claims made, or for any transactionsthat ensue. Advertisements run for 3 months from the date first published unless otherwisearranged with the Editor.

marketplace

wanted ____________________BMW R90S - for restoration project. Anycondition but must be complete. Phone Bruceon (07) 308 5828 or email: [email protected] (3)BMW X Country in good condition. ContactJulia on 021 02568876 or [email protected] (2)Switch cluster - for left hand side (has dip/highbeam, left indicator and horn) for 1995 R1100R,chassis number 0363208. Please contact RevtiVerma at [email protected] [email protected] or cell 021 460 298 (2)F800ST Panniers - or one only. Conditionnot important, would consider slight damage,only for that once a year trip to Paeroa StreetRacing weekend. Contact Ray on (09)4361344 or email [email protected] (2)

BOB & MAXINE’S BACKPACKERS, TE ANAU20 PATON PL (OFF ORAKA ST AT START OF THE MILFORD RD)Opened November 2006. The bestbackpackers in Te Anau.Superb views of Mt Luxmore.3 bedrooms with 6 bunks each.BMWOR price $27 per person1 twin bedroom with ensuite.BMWOR price $37 per person2 high class double rooms sharing abathroom. BMWOR price $45 perpersonHuge common room with satelliteTV and log burner. Big fullyequipped kitchen.Heat pumps supporting the logburners.Owners are long term BMWORmembers. Garage available onrequest for your bike.

Phone: (03) 931 3161 Email: [email protected]

bikes for sale ______________

R1200GSA - (2006).One owner,28000km, excellentcondition, new WOFExp 1/11/2011,registered until 31/8/2011. ABS, heatedgrips, phone/radar

mount, new rear tyre, just serviced, BMWservice history, a great bike. $20,000. BMWalloy panniers may be availible by negotiation.Contact Phil on (03) 313 3144, 027 222 5156 [email protected] (2)

parts for sale _______________

Brand new - RH side fairing (blue) andunderbelly cover (black) suit 1997 - 2003K1200RS. Any offers to Ray on (09) 436 1344or email [email protected] (2)

F650GS - (2005 twinspark). Everythingyou want for both off-road and/or touring.Complete with ABS,heated grips, full Giviluggage (panniersand top box),Touratech wide footpegs and screenguard, after marketexhaust (soundsgreat) plus custom

lockable storage container replacing thesecond exhaust, Scott Oiler and near newtyres front and rear. Only 57,175 kms andmaintained by a qualified BMW mechanic forthe past few years. Mint condition, want$10,500. Based in Christchurch. All enquiriesto Julia at [email protected] or 02102568876 (2)

On occassion Star Insurance sell parts from insurance wrecks through Trade Me. Take alook at the Star Insurance website www.starinsurance.co.nz for details.

R1100S - (1999).The classic sportsboxer, resplendentin black, completewith genuineBMW panniersand tank bag.Only travelled amere 38k from

new. Good tyres, maintenance free battery,fitted with superb Corbin seat and Remusstainless steel exhaust system. Original seatand exhaust also available. Maintained byMount Motorcycles and has been in thepresent ownership for nearly 8 years. Comeswith original tools and owner’s manual.$10,000. Contact Neil Barnard on (07)3048774 or email [email protected](1)

apparel for sale ____________

Draggin Jeans - near new (worn twice)woman’s size 18. Cost $254, sell ing for $200.Contact Denise on (04) 568 7661 (1)

area representativesNORTHLANDIain (Mac) MacLean027 237 [email protected]

AUCKLANDRob Hargreaves09 533 [email protected]

Ride Master - Bruce Crowther09 268 1321027 499 2034

Registered at NZ Post Wellington as a magazine

WAIKATOJan Titulaer07 824 [email protected]

BAY OF PLENTYPeter Lyner07 548 [email protected]

TARANAKIValma Kuriger06 756 [email protected]

RANGITIKEIRobin Wood06 355 [email protected]

EAST COASTDerek Nowell-Usticke06 874 [email protected]

WELLINGTONDave Oldershaw04 477 [email protected]

NELSONGraham Rogers03 528 [email protected]

MARLBOROUGHRoss Williams03 578 61360274 369 [email protected]

CANTERBURYWarren Taylor & Alexis (Lex) Bone03 313 0929Warren 027 434 5122Lex 027 256 [email protected]

OTAGO & SOUTHLANDBarry Richardson03 448 [email protected]

BMWOR of NZ | P O Box 109-245 | Newmarket | Auckland 1149 | NEW ZEALAND

This magazine is proudly printed by the team at PrintstopPlus, Lower Hutt

625 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland

0800 RIDEBMW (0800 743 3265)

Contact Henry on (09) 845 6723 or 0274 330 650 a/hrs

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