For Sale update - A model of a GL1500 Goldwing

 UPDATE: This item has been claimed

Joining the Honda NT700V Deauville on the For Sale page is this 1:12 model of a GL1500 Goldwing. 

This might be just the thing for a collector or Goldwing owner. 

Its still in its original box which has contributed to its original and unrestored near new condition.

Check it out and give John a call if you are interested!

NSW Southern Region Road Rules On-line Quiz

The following correspondence was received from the Road Safety Officer from Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.

Given we are enduring some strong limitations on our recreational riding at the moment, this is an opportunity to revise our understanding of the NSW road rules which we have to comply with when riding there.*

"Road Safety in Southern Region are running a Road Rules On-line Quiz over next month with $50 gift voucher prizes to win each week.

The quiz acknowledges that while we are currently restricted to essential travel only and encouraged to be at home, it might be a good time to refresh knowledge on road rules.

The quiz will run until 17 May  and each week one winner from our Council area will be drawn and receive a $50 gift voucher to local supermarket or restaurant of your choice.

It takes around 5-10 minutes to complete the quiz and includes a link to the Top 10 Misunderstood Road Rules flyer and animations.

Here is the link for the quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ROADRULESQUIZ5

Good luck and travel safe

Kind regards

Jo"

A link to the NSW pamphlet is here:
https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/top-10-misunderstood-road-rules.pdf

A link to the ACT road rules is here:
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1828/~/act-road-rules#!tabs-5

* The majority of our recreational riding is outside the ACT, and hopefully we will resume that, as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic threat has passed and the related restrictions are lifted.

April RO2 now available

Yes folks - a little ray of sunshine in these isolated times; 

the April RO2 awaits your reading pleasure.

>>>Click here to download the April RO2<<<

>>>And click here to go to the RO2 webpage<<<

Branch activities suspended due to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Hello Fellow Ulysses Members and Friends,

The Branch Committee met via phone conference on Wednesday evening.
 
The meeting convened primarily to discuss how the ACT Branch Ulysses moves forward given the Government’s recommendations surrounding the COVID-19 virus and how it will impact on our all social gatherings.
 
The Committee discussed the impact of social-distancing and have agreed to suspend some of our activities until it is deemed safe to come together physically as a group.

Suspended – Cancelled Activities

• All organised rides will be cancelled – up until the end of May.  A ride committee will convene as soon as practicable to get some of the planned rides back into the calendar for us.

• All Social Dinners will be suspended until further notice.

• Social Monthly Meetings will be cancelled until further notice.

• The Branch Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled each year in April, obviously will not take place.  We will monitor and follow the lead of the National Ulysses Club with regards to the holding of our Branch AGM.

I am pleased to say that your devoted current Committee has agreed to continue to serve the Branch in the positions they have been elected to, until the 2020 AGM is held. Members will be asked to think about nominating for a Committee position as soon as we have a clear understanding of how to proceed. 

Communication and Support

The Committee feels that, at this difficult time of social-distancing and isolation, it is more important then ever to ensure we provide good communication and support to all Members.  The media channels available to us will continued (ie: the Website, the R02 Newsletter, Facebook and emails) to ensure our Ulysses members feel informed and supported and these will be sent out to everyone at required.   

We would prefer to name this time “Physical-Distancing” as we are still a strong “Social” group.  To that end, the Committee have offered to be available on the phone for any members who may be feeling isolated or in need of support.  Phone numbers and email addresses are on the Branch web-site and I urge Members, if you find yourself in need of a chat, to just pick up the phone or drop any of us a line.

Please make staying safe your highest priority at this time. Watch out for updates from us.  We will see you on the other side with hugs and handshakes a plenty.

Regards,

Maritta Heiler | President, Canberra Branch #44790
Mob: 0417633000
maritta.h@bigpond.com
Find out more at http://ulyssescanberrabranch.blogspot.com.au
Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ulyssesclubcanberrabranch/

Ride Report Rosehill Back Roads Tour 22 March 2020

This was the third time I had led this ride, but it takes in so many different roads, intersections and turn-offs that I had to resort to my cheat sheet beforehand and even at some points during the excursion.

It’s a cracker route, though, following some of the best little back roads in the region as it winds its way from Canberra to Cootamundra and back. To quote John Grace, a repeat Rosehill Back Roads Tourist, “Berremangra Road is a bloody beauty – it’s as if they just poured a line of bitumen across the paddocks.”

Seven of us on six bikes gathered at the new Caltex servo overlooking Cotter Road at Weston, having been teased by unseasonal fog on the way in. We left right on time at 9am and headed out of town on Uriarra Road, crossed the Murrumbidgee, climbed out of the valley on Fairlight Road and turned right onto Mountain Creek Road in bright sunshine.

The valley of The Mullion was a joy to behold. The recently rained-upon pastures were such a vivid shade of green we almost had to don our sunnies, and there were bright white, freshly shorn sheep and little black Angus calves (baby cows, for our city readers) everywhere.

Our leader set a steady pace (slow and steady wins the race!) along Mountain Creek Road and then Wee Jasper Road to Yass, where we were briefly separated by a traffic jam. But this was the last of the traffic we would see all day – with the COVID-19 coronavirus stalking the highways, byways and cruise ships, there were not many people travelling. In fact, we probably saw more motorbikes than cars, no doubt all out and about on “essential travel”.

From Yass we rode up the usual non-back road to Boorowa for coffee and a pie at the Superb Café (superb by name, not by nature) which has resorted to serving even the eat-in food in takeaway containers. No crockery, no cutlery, no germs being hauled back into the kitchen to make the leap to clean dishes and thence to unsuspecting victims in the dining room (or I guess that’s the theory).

A note here about social distancing: it has been decreed by the coronavirus cops that each person must have four square metres to themselves when inside a restaurant. While critics might point out that all seven of us sat huddled around the same table in the middle of the room, the absence of any other diners meant that yes, in fact, each of us occupied, on average, four square metres.

We departed Boorowa at 11am and headed back south a few kilometres before turning west onto Cunningar Road and left onto Galong Road, riding through the dwindling village of Galong and crossing Burley Griffin Way onto Bouyeo Road.

We were now in the infamous Jugiong Triangle, a seven-sided triangle bounded by Jugiong, Coolac, Cootamundra, Wallendbeen, Harden-Murrumburrah, Binalong and Bookham. Apart from its mysterious shape, it is also known for its disappearing livestock, which grow to a certain size before suddenly vanishing from the landscape and leaving no trace of their ever having existed (except for some scattered turds). Scientists are sceptical but privately admit to being baffled.

Undeterred, we rode west on Bouyeo Road, south on McMahons Reef Road and then even more south on Berremangra Road or BM for short. While only 20km in length, BM has everything for the back roads aficionado. It’s narrow, it’s twisting, it has lots of ups and downs, blind crests, a mostly smooth surface and spectacular country vistas. Oh, and the occasional mob of cattle (grown-up calves, see above) grazing the unfenced roadside grass. It was a shitload of fun!

BM ends at the Hume Freeway, which we followed west to Jugiong before heading north on Jugiong Road and then vaguely west-ish on Rosehill Road, another delightful back road that winds and climbs through steep, hilly granite country. The Jugiong Triangle hasn’t received as much rain as the rest of the region and the thin veneer of green growth still has a way to go before it can finish off the drought.

At 12:30pm we pulled in for lunch at the Family Hotel in Cootamundra. Customer numbers were way down because of the damned virus but the reception was as friendly as always and the food was good. You can’t complain about two plump sausages with mash, gravy and lashings of dead horse for ten bucks (unless you’re a vegan, I suppose). John splurged a bit more on a delicious Scotch fillet steak. 

Distant socialisers

 

Simple fare - perfect!

When we emerged, it was sunny and 26° with a light breeze – almost perfect riding weather. But our row of grown-up bikes had been joined by the tiniest, bluest motor scooter I had ever seen. It was as if a Vespa had been hit by the Jivaro headhunters’ shrinking juice revealed to the world in “Uncle Scrooge and the Money Champ” (Uncle Scrooge #27, written and drawn by Carl Barks, 1959). But no, it belonged to a burnt-out local chippie who came out of the pub to say g’day and lament that he wasn’t going with us on his other bike, a Hayabusa.

Street level social distancing.

We refuelled at the Coota Caltex before heading across the railway line, past the showground and out of town on Pinkerton Road, Kilrush Road, Cullinga Road, Cullinga Mines Road and Jugiong Road (the same Jugiong Road as before but the other end of it) to the southern outskirts of Harden.

Then it was right onto East Street and right again onto Bouyeo Road (the same Bouyeo Road as before but the other end of it) for a roller-coaster ride back to Burley Griffin Way near Galong. Confused? Imagine what it was like navigating…

Apart from a short detour on Red Hill Road (the old Burley Griffin Way) into Bowning, that was the end of our back-roadery (except for Scott, who returned home via Mountain Creek Road). The rest of us had a coffee break with the horses, peacocks and emus at the Rollonin Café before following the highways back to Canberra. I got home at 4:20pm, which would be really interesting to someone with OCD because we had ridden 420km.

Parade ground distancing

Alas my friends there is but one spoon.

As a footnote, a few hours after we got home the PM declared pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafés off limits because of the virus. We just squeaked this one in!

Ian Paterson

• Ian Paterson             Honda GL1800 Goldwing
• Neil McRitchie           Kawasaki GTR1400
• Alan & Lyn Munday    Yamaha FJR1300
• Warren Richer           Triumph Thruxton R
• Scott England            BMW R1250RT
• John Grace                Triumph Tiger 1200

Telemachus Awards at the March meeting

At the  March 17 Branch meeting, Lyn and I were presented with a Telemachus Medal each. The Telemachus Award recognises service to the branch. 

In our case it is for a number of things but particularly for Lyn's work on the RO2 over many years (since 2010 ) and myself for the webmaster role on the branch website and blog since 2005. 

We would both like to thank the Branch Committee and all the membership for this recognition. We are both very proud and appreciative.

Thank you all! 
Lyn Munday, 
Gary McDonald

Rosehill Back Roads Tour, Sun 22nd March

This weekends (Sun 22nd March) ride is the famous Rosehill Back Roads Tour. It will be approximately 420 km and will leave from the Caltex, Kirkpatrick St & Cotter Rd, Weston at 9am folling the 8:50am briefing.

Lunch is planned for the Family Hotel, Cootamundra and the illustrious ride leader will be Ian Paterson who can be contacted for inquiries on 0427 291 728
 
The Route notes are: Out via Mountain Creek Rd, Yass, Boorowa (coffee), Galong, Bouyeo Rd, McMahons Reef Rd, Berremangra Rd, Hume Hwy, Jugiong Rd, Rosehill Rd & Cootamundra (250 km, lunch & fuel). Back via Cullinga Mines Rd, Jugiong Rd, Bouyeo Rd & Bowning (coffee).