Ulysses Club

of New Zealand

Rotorua Branch

Rotorua Ramblings…… JUNE 2014 issue 13

With the Okataina Rally behind us we can look back at another successful event. In total ,56 Ulysians enjoyed our hospitality, plus another 12 or so from our Branch. Friday afternoon, and throughout Saturday, I had the pleasure of welcoming our guests and in no time every body was catching-up with old and new friends while the fire was roaring keeping us all warm. Due to the high number and quality of the prizes on the table there was great interest in buying tickets and a high number were sold. However it took longer then ex-pected to draw all the prizes on the Saturday night and it would probably wise to limit the number of prizes at future rallies. Many of our members and sponsors contributed to the prizes and this was very much appreciated. Feeding the multitude was a huge task but under the guidance of Hartley and Gordon our quest were spoiled (as some of them told me) and our two chefs were assisted by Bruce and Christine, Bruce and Annette, Mal and Lynda, Tony, Dave and Lynne. A great effort and very much appreciated by all who enjoyed the meals and hopefully you all enjoyed the weekend as well al-though a lot of time was spent in the kitchen. As registrar at the Rally I did not work much in the kitchen yet I managed to dry a few dishes and cleaned some pots and pans. No doubt some of our Ulysian friends expected to be greeted by a pretty looking receptionist, however they had to put up with me and I am sure I saw disappointment in some of these guys eyes. No trouble with the ladies though. Another of our members did a sterling job behind the bar and our drinks turn-over was substantial with many coming back to Bob for more drinks and a bit of cheek. Peter Hobdell’s Band on Saturday night was so well received that at times there was hardly any elbow room on the dance floor. We all enjoyed the variety of the songs and we were all dead tired by the time the band stopped well after midnight. A great Thank You to you Peter and the other members of your band “Mid Live Crises”. I wish also to express my thanks to those who not only helped out on the Friday and Saturday but stayed behind on the Sunday morning for the clean up. The cleaning was a efficient combined effort and as Bruce Roe pointed out that this was the earliest we could leave the place as we found it. Last but not least a note of appreciation to Andrea for the effort put in to drum up more registrations as we knew were very low only 2 weeks before the event. Your endeavour in getting more registrations made the Rally finan-cially much better then just break even. I know it is dangerous to acknowl-edge the effort put in by naming the individuals but I am prepared to apolo-gise if I have overlooked anyone. Hope to see you all for a debriefing at our monthly meeting this Sunday.

Peter #8136

To open Branch website, click onto: www.ulyssesrotorua.org.nz

EDITORIAL CO ORDINATOR’S COMMENT

Next Branch

Meeting

Sunday 29th June

2014 at

7.00pm

How a bit of publicity and positiveness made such a difference as to whether Okataina should go ahead 4 weeks out from the Rally with only 13 registrations received at that time. The Rally turned out to be a great success with late registrations coming in during the last week. That seems to be typical of all events where numbers can be a “Make or Break” situation—very unsettling for organis-ers? Okataina, this year, seemed to function with-out a hitch. The committee was well organ-ised, carried out all the tasks they were asked to do without any fuss or bother just like a well-oiled machine. On a negative note was the Saturday morning ride to Waikite Valley Pools where the service was not up to Rotorua standards and prices were well out of the average Ulyssian’s pock-ets—future Ride Organisers please take note. The ride then went to the Fat Dog Café where the food prices and service was fantastic. Thank you Fat Dog for getting Rotorua out of the embarrassment of such poor service at Waikite.

2013-2014 Rotorua Branch Committee Co-ordinator: Peter van der Maat 349 3021 pmaint@xtra.co.nz 021 972 535

Secretary: Bruce Quedley 347 8659 bruce@quedley.com 021 616 736

Treasurer: Hartley Gray 348 0555 hartleyandteri@gmail.com 027 229 6407

Newsletter: Tony Baker 345 7607 tbaker@wave.co.nz 022 345 7607

Committee: Bruce Roe, Graeme van Praagh, Mal (Axle) Bain, Jan Matthews, plus the above.

LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO !!

NORTH ISLAND ULYSSES REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

Auckland Branch organized event SATURDAY 9th AUGUST 2014 at 2pm

The REMEMBRANCE SERVICE will be held in the Great Lake Centre, Story Place, Taupo. The Taupo Branch have organised a social evening on the Saturday night at the Taupo Cosmopolitan Club, starting at 7pm.

EVENT HISTORY The Ulysses Remembrance Ride was started in August 1988 under the name of the Mel Curran Memorial Run. The Auckland Branch had planned a weekend run to Taupo and it was on the eve of the run, 5th August 1988 that we learnt of the death of our friend Mel who had been in hospital for some weeks after an accident on his bike. During the weekend the members present in Taupo decided to remember Mel the following year with a Memorial Run for which a badge would be struck. Since that time we have lost a number of good friends and fellow motorcyclists through accident or illness and after the first Memorial Run it was decided to change the title to Remembrance Run in order to include all riders who wished to come along to remember old friends.

LAKESIDE CAFÉ & CRAFTS On the Lakefront, Memorial Drive, Rotorua. “Where we meet every Saturday morning at 10:30am”

Our hosts: Colin & Norma Craig

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

How to U-Turn a Motorcycle It may look easy, but a smoothly executed u-turn on a motorcycle

is more challenging than you might guess.

It’s all in the eyes The old adage "You'll go where you're looking" holds especially

true when it comes to u-turns. That said, don't look down, and

keep your line of vision going through the turn, constantly focus-

ing your eyes ahead, where you want to go, rather than towards the

pavement below.

Ride Within the Friction Zone The friction zone is the area where your clutch is slipping enough

to transmit some, but not all power from the engine to the rear

wheel. Don't try to u-turn in neutral, and don't do with a gear fully

engaged, either; riding within the friction zone will give you more

control over the bike through the throttle, which helps modulate

the motorcycle's lean angle through subtle adjustments.

Drag the rear brake Avoid using the front brakes during u-turns, as the forks are more

sensitive to diving at low speeds. Gentle dragging of the rear brake

creates stability, enabling better control while you're manoeuvring

your bike through the turn.

Practice Turning Both Ways For whatever reason, most people find it much easier to make tight

left turns than right turns. To develop a more balanced u-turn skill

set, practice doing figure 8s in an empty parking lot. The drill will

build your muscle memory for both sides of your body. Similarly,

try riding in a wide circle and narrowing your path so you're form-

ing an ever-narrowing spiral; once you can't turn any more tightly,

exit and try it again the other way. Remember to keep looking

where you want to go, especially when you're changing directions.

*************************

Two trikes and two 2-wheelers left Lakeside Café on a nice Sunday morning for Te Aroha. I say, “nice” be-cause it was a typical autumn day – clear sky with a bite in the wind. By the time we had reached the top of the Mamakus the “bite” became “bloody cold”! I started to think of my hot spa bath with the nozzles turned on to “full”. Mal was doing very well as Ride Leader, having never been to this part of the world before. On reaching Te Aroha it was to the first coffee shop we could see which was the “Ironique Café”. The décor features recycled timber and iron features all handcrafted from recycled materials. The Ironique Café was friendly, with good service in a unique cas-ual atmosphere. We then returned home via the undulating road run-ning along the Te Aroha Ranges. Arriving back in Roto-rua, Mal and Linda then invited us into their home for a hot coffee and a yarn. It was then off to our homes to hop into a hot spa bath that had been on my mind ever since we left Rotorua!!. Thank you guys and girls for a very nice Sunday ride. Tony & Marlene

TE AROHA RIDE

For Sale on Behalf The following motorcycle gear is for sale on behalf of a retired biker friend: 2 x Nazran Cordura motorcycle jackets, size L 1 x Nazran Cordura pants, size L 1 x Nazran Cordura pants, size XL. 1 x KBC motorcycle helmet, size 53—54cm. For inspection and prices of above, contact: Tony Baker 022 3457607

Ulysses #2436 *******************************

Bob McKenzie wishes to apologise for his failed attempt at assassination of the President at Tihoi. His bomb didn’t go off and was a “fizzer”!

************************* Jack and Shelley Butterworth, with their family, have just returned from a trip to Rarotonga to get away from the cold and have a well-earned “break”. Nice one guys. Jack, I’ll bet it was great getting back on a 2-wheeler riding around the island?

************************** Graeme and Sandy have just returned from a 4,000km mo-torcycle ride around the western half of Turkey , which in their own words, “Was fantastic and we managed to stay upright this time!” As soon as they arrived back in New Zealand, they were off again, this time to Bali, to attend their friends 60th birth-day. What a “bummer” having to go to Bali for a friends birthday in the middle of a New Zealand winter!!!

**************************

BITS AND PIECES

Flash was seen breakfasting with a sweet young thing in Invercargill, and there she was again at Okataina – what is going on! I am told there were 11 errors in the last minutes! I couldn't find the Rotorua Branch report in the latest Ulyssian, but the Branch did get a mention in the Editor's Notes – what was the blooper ? Jack B. does more travelling on his trike in a month than the rest of us do in a year! Smokey's has just become a granddad again – twice! All well I hear. Great decision to go ahead with the Okataina Rally - the reports reaching my ears are all good. I hear “Axle” has many photos of lovely disgraceful behaviour that befit the occa-sion. Who was the committee member who nearly froze to death on Friday night and only real-ized the next night that he had turned the heater to “Cold” instead of “Hot”. Then there was the Mercedes Benz car which turned into a GoldWing trike during Friday night. It went to bed at night as a car and woke up in the morning as a trike. Remember, you are only a ride away from a happy day!

The above flyer was sent to Ulysses by Damien Radesic. For further information, contact Damien direct: Damien Radesic

MTF Rotorua

www.mtf.co.nz/rotorua t: 07 349 2211 | m: 027 546 5656 | f: 07 349 2256 | 1066 Whakaue Street | PO Box 1415 | Rotorua 3040

NOAH THINGERTOO SAYS :-

Well, who wooda thunk it? With only 2 registrations a few weeks ago, our Okataina Rally at-tracted over 50 guests in the end. As one attendee said “We know its on, and just come, 'cos we know we always have a great time! ” Under Hartley's supervision, all the meals were just superb. The Friday night yarn session was noisy, so plenty of yarns being spun. Saturday night had Pete's 5 piece band, and the joint was swinging. Mal's ride on Saturday morning attracted good numbers, on bikes, trikes, and in cars. The only serious down point being the treatment they received from the person at the Waikite Hot Pools Cafe. She could use a lesson in customer relations. The ride went instead to Fat Dog and got a great reception, great attitude and food that our town should be known for. Well, cross the Waikite Hot Pools off our list for lunches. All those at dinner on Saturday night wore pyjamas, and what a variety. Pity they normally only get worn to bed! And it took 3 extra trips in to town to keep up the alcohol supply. “Bob the Bar-man” did a sterling job! The crew were marvellous. After years of running the rally, we should really have it right, and I think we have. Only 2 comments – I think the days of the Quiz Session have run out of interest. The concept is a great one, but needs an injection. Personally, I would like to see the Sods Op-era back – any acts are usually short and take only a little time away from the music and dancing. Also, the Branch did a fantastic job accumulating a huge range of raffle prizes, but the draws took too long. We need to combine large quantities of prizes in to fewer draws. I had a great time, I am sure we all did. The comments from all bikers as they left were all very flattering. Bring on 2015!!

FLASH #1272

Okataina 2014

The hard-working team who put together the 2014 Okataina Rally

To open the Gallery page to see all photos taken by “”Axle”, go to:

http://ulyssesrotorua.org.nz/gallery

THIS PAGE WILL BE RESERVED EACH MONTH FOR

STORIES OF INTEREST TO READERS

Tom Sykes is a motorcycle road racer born 19 August 1985 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. In 2007 he gained his first ride in British Superbikes, riding a Stobart Vent-Axia Honda; Sykes finished in sixth position in the championship in his rookie year. Fol-lowing this success he was signed by the Rizla Suzuki team for the 2008 season; he went on to finish 4th in the championship as well as making wildcard World Superbike ap-pearances at Brands Hatch & Donington Park, where he impressed strongly, helping him gain a World Superbike ride at Yamaha Motor Italia for the 2009 season.

[1] For 2010 he

races a Paul Bird Motorsport Kawasaki in the series. He won his first SBK title in 2013 for Kawasaki The Kawasaki was relatively uncompetitive in 2010, but Sykes managed a strong fifth place at Monza. He was the team leader for much of the year, with the more experi-enced Chris Vermeulen struggling following a knee injury sustained at the first round at Phillip Island. Despite speculation as to his future with the team, Sykes flew to Japan to help test the ZX-10R, the bike the team will use for 2011.

[8] He made a wildcard appear-

ance with the team in the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch.[9]

On the final weekend of the 2010 World Superbike Championship season, Sykes con-firmed that he had signed a one year contract with Kawasaki that would see him ride in the 2011 Superbike World Championship season.

[10]

Sykes crashed in the chicane at Donington Park shortly after he passed an Aprilia and moved up to 4th place and he was taken out of the race while his team mates managed mid-placings. He finished close to last on race 2, but Lascorz made 6th. Tom Sykes has been crowned the 2013 World Superbike Champion after securing the third place finish he needed to secure a popular title victory at Jerez, while Eugene Laverty took a dramatic last corner victory over Marco Melandri. On June 21, 2014, Tom Sykes captured his 21st career Superpole at Italy’s Misano World Circuit for round seven of the series

Tom Sykes hit motorcycle racing’s equivalent of a game-winning home run Saturday af-ternoon at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. With less than a minutes left in fi-nal qualifying, the reigning World Superbike champion knocked more than a second and a half from his previous best time, smashing the outright lap record and winning his sec-ond Superpole of the season. Fourth, second, and sixth in the previous timed sessions, Sykes got what he expected from the Pirelli qualifier. “When the feeling was good,” he said, “I knew exactly where I needed to make the tire count. I knew I had to push because the other riders were mak-ing fantastic lap times, and I didn’t want to be caught with my pants around my ankles.” Sykes credited his Kawasaki team, led by crew chief Marcel Duinker. “The people around me are very special,” he said, “and they were able to adapt the bike so that when we put the qualifying tire in, I was able to move from one side of the track to the other and hit each apex as I wanted.”

WORLD SUPERBIKE: TOM SYKES

DELIVERS STUNNING SUPERPOLE WIN