Author Archives: Charles Oliver

There were 16 bikes at the start, Richard Knott led the way and our first stop was Lovell’s Bakery at Birdwood. From there, the ride was whittled down to 10 as we hit the long straight road to Swan Reach, via Sedan. We crossed the Murray by ferry and followed the river down to Nildottie, where we stopped for lunch.

We continued, following the river south through the scenic settlement of Younghusband and along East Front Rd, which hugs the river bank, and eventually crossed the Murray again at Mannum. Then it was a return trip home along Randell Rd, through Palmer & Tungkillo. Riders peeling off towards their homes at various points. It was quite a long ride – 310 kilometres for me, but the weather and scenery were glorious. Thanks to Richard and all who attended for a great day out.

In spite of my careful planning to start earlier due to the likelihood of hot weather, a couple of spanners were in the works. Firstly it was very mild weather, and we can’t complain about that. Then there was the confusion about the starting time and even the place. Please consult the web calendar either on your PC or phone for the details. Although these details do not usually change from month to month, it is always a possibility. Anyhow enough with the lecturing…

Riders of 6 historic bikes (in ascending age order):-

• Phil Baugman 1980 BMW K75S
• Mark Mussared 1977 Moto Morini 3½ Strada
• Campbell Blaney 1977 Triumph Bonneville T140V
• Alan Kernich 1976 Triumph Bonneville T140V
• Ray Chappel 1976 Kawasaki Z900
• Charles Oliver 1967 Triumph Bonneville T120R

and 4 moderns (in no particular order):-

• Louis Peilschmidt 2000 Moto Guzzi EV 1100
• Wayne Williams 2008 Yamaha XVS 650
• Trevor McDonald 2015 Yamaha MT 09 850
• David Shillingford 2019 Royal Enfield GT Continental 650

met at Hazelwood Park for our run to Hindmarsh Island and the Murray Mouth.

We had a very pleasant run to Strathalbyn via Summertown, Aldgate, Mylor, Echunga and Macclesfield to our refreshment stop at the Strathalbyn Bakery. Here we received a phone call asking us to wait for a couple of stragglers who had missed the start. In a short while we were joined by:-

• David Saint 1976 Suzuki GT750
• Allan Vaisham 1975 Honda 500T

After our break we headed off towards Goolwa and unlike a previous similar run, my Bonnie just kept going this time with an uneventful run down through Currency Creek, Goolwa, across the bridge to Hindmarsh Island and on to the Murray Mouth. The good – very tasty fish and chips at a food van complete with a sheltered gazebo al fresco dining area. Here:-

• Darryl McWaters 1971 Honda 750

caught up with us after missing the start and then diligently searching for us at the Top of Taps and the  McLaren Flat Bakery. Well done Darryl. So we ended up with 9 historic bikes, far outnumbering the moderns!

The bad – just up the road at the lookout, the rather depressing sight of two dredges fighting what looks like a losing battle with the sand to keep the mouth open.

After a relaxing meal and some sightseeing we headed off back to Goolwa with a brief detour along the northern coast of the island. Bull Creek Road (always a favourite) was the route to our last stop at Meadows. As usual, the convoy broke up here with people heading off in different directions depending on the latitude of their suburb.

A bit over 210 kilometres for me and once again a really enjoyable day and thanks to the participants for your company.

Alan Kernich, Club Captain.

Due to an unfortunate clash of dates within our club there were two events on the same day.  Normally this would not unduly affect the Mopeds Plus, but on this occasion our normal back-up trailer driver Wayne Williams wished to participate in the larger machine run to the Murray Mouth. Wayne offered his trailer to anyone prepared to tow it but by the time the problem was known it was too late to make other arrangements, so the decision was made deal with any emergencies as they arose.  Fortunately, no such emergency occurred.

To add to the problem of forecast inclement weather, our normal leader Warren Duncan was under another D.W.N (Domestic Withdrawal Notice) but had arranged for Roger O’Loughlin to take his place and, with the aid of previously prepared direction instructions on file,  the run to Glenelg and return  was completed, unprecedentedly,  without anyone getting lost.

Just as riders were forming up to commence the run Victor Poulton arrived in his car and offered to tow the trailer used to carry the tail-end Charlie’s Tilbrook  but it was too late to unhitch it and fit a tow ball on the other vehicle.   Victor followed all the way and was prepared to carry any luckless rider back to the Birkenhead car park while someone stood guard over the stationary machine.

Apart from a strong wind on the way to Glenelg and a slight drizzle for a short time the riding conditions were reasonably pleasant.  The usual cycling event coincided with the run to Outer Harbour and it was amusing to see Ian Roddie attempting to “draught” a cyclist as he was passed on his 50cc NSU.  Trevor and Susan Jones did an excellent job of shielding Ian on their 500cc solo Matchless when the wind was doing its best to stop him.

Surprisingly Ian Voysey on his 98cc Malvern Star Auto Cycle had a trouble-free ride regardless of the strong wind on the way to Glenelg.  His previous troubles at mount Barker were due to the needle jet gumming up due to ancient petrol oil mix being regularly left in the tank.

Ten participants remained at the Birkenhead Tavern for lunch at a table set aside for the club.  This was arranged by Warren previously due to the venue being very popular with Sunday diners.

The following riders participated: 

• Roger O’Loughlin 1988 650Suzuki
• Alan Wallis 1950 197 cc Tilbrook
• Graham Riley 1960 125cc Vespa
• Ian Roddie 1951 50cc NSU
• Paul David 1940 350cc Matchless
• Ian Voysey 1947 98cc Malvern Star Auto Cycle
• Kym Miller 1977 500cc Yamaha
• Bob and Evangeline Finnie 2001 1750cc Harley Davidson
• Peter Arriola 1979 150cc James
• Rob Smythe 1971 50cc Motobecane
• Trevor and Susan Jones 1952 500cc Matchless
• Victor Poulton 2015 2400cc GV Suzuki car

Our first Mopeds Plus event for 2020 will be on 9th February, meeting at Goolwa to travel across Hindmarsh Island to the Murray Mouth in the morning and to the Goolwa Airport then the barrage in the afternoon.

Alan Wallis.