Page 10 - Riding On No.157 Summer 2022

Letters To The Editor

When I started riding, my bikes were second hand, basic (read trip to the island (thank you Motorcycle Cruise Controls).
Bultaco Lobito 125) leaked oil and tended towards electrical
failure (read BSA Starfire 250 and Royal Star 500). They needed
constant maintenance, tuning and repair. And now they tell me that ICE is bad for me! As if I would
ever touch that crap. Ooops, they mean Internal Combustion
Engines. Ahhh, farewell the wail from my Acropovic at 10,000
Still, I loved them and the thrill of riding has never left me. and rising. Hello silent throttle response and the unsettling
Suddenly it is more than 50 years since I first swung a leg over sounds of tyres on road and chain on sprockets. Bugger!
my very own bike and things have changed a little. OK in 1981 Welcome to the world of electric bikes. Tiny but powerful motor,
I went Japanese for the first time on a brilliant Kawasaki Z500 no gearbox (WHAT?) heavy and expensive battery and, in my
and that saw a marked decrease in the time I spent fettling my humble, mostly as ugly as the south end of a northbound camel
bike and a lot more time riding it. train.

Now I ride a Honda VFR 800, lucky 13 bike I have owned. But we are informed that they have more torque than a
th
The ‘Viffer’ is 5 years old and by no means cutting edge, up tractor, are incredibly cheap to run and are much better for our
market bikes from the Europeans and to an extent Japanese feverish, crowded planet. Not only that but their arrival and
have electronic aids that stagger my little brain. But still, she takeover are inevitable, if some way off. I do hope that the
has traction control, anti-lock braking, computer-controlled aesthetics are improved and that battery life can be extended
fuel injection and ignition, a smooth and complex little V4 that before I go to the dark side. Change, it is the only constant
revs and revs and never leaks or burns a drop, single sided there is.
swingarm and all for 15 grand on the road. How can they do
this? OK it was missing cruise control but I fitted that after one Brian Hughes #11234

Fact or Fiction and administration of the Club.
This article was written by Rob White #22674
FACT – The Club currently employs one permanent staff
I was having a yarn with a long-term Club member recently member. As the name implies, our Administration Office staff
and he raised a point about members, particularly newer ones, look after general administrative tasks such as enquiries,
who don’t understand who NatCom are, or what they do. He membership processing, warehousing, dispatch and AGM Event
pointed out that some members have almost no idea about registrations as well as assisting our (volunteer) Editor with the
their Club’s structure, or how it is run. production of the Club’s quarterly journal, Riding On.

Maybe we should begin at the beginning; NatCom (the FICTION – NatCom members work at the National
National Committee) is you! The NatCom is a committee of Administration Office in Sydney.
seven members who are elected to run the Club’s affairs on
behalf of the rest of the members who live all over Australia, FACT – The National Committee members live and work in
and beyond. separate Australian states and territories. Some are employed
in normal 9-5 jobs, others run their own businesses and one or
To help familiarise you with how things work within the National two thought they were retired … before they were elected to
Committee and National Administration Office, we thought we’d NatCom!
try and dispel some popular myths, while providing you with a
few facts along the way. So here goes: Occasionally, individual NatCom members will spend a day or
two at the National Office completing specific jobs that require
FICTION - NatCom are paid to look after our Club, just like any them to be ‘on site’. They try to make these visits coincide with
Board of Directors. regular NatCom meetings (which are usually on a Saturday) so
that travel expenses can be minimised.
FACT - NatCom members are not paid. They are
volunteers. The Club does reimburse them for travel, FICTION – There must be more than seven people on NatCom,
accommodation and meal expenses when they attend NatCom because I know there’s the Editor of Riding On, a National
meetings, and a monthly allowance is paid to cover telephone Sponsorship Coordinator, a UCARF Coordinator, Webmaster and
calls and internet access. Sometimes, reimbursement may …...
also be approved for a specific presentation or meeting where
a NatCom member’s presence is required. And before you FACT – There are only seven members on the National
ask; No, they have to buy their own drinks when they attend Committee; President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer
functions! and three Ordinary Committee Members. Most of the other
positions you have heard about are likely to be Ex-Officio
FICTION - At the National Rally each year there is an Extended Officers who have been appointed by NatCom. Every year
NatCom Meeting, which is one of the six meetings mandated by NatCom renews the invitation to the Ex-Officio Officers to serve
the Constitution. Does that mean then, that NatCom members our Club as volunteers.
are reimbursed for attending the National Rally?
The club is in need of members to nominate to take a position
FACT – No. While NatCom members are expected to attend the of the National Committee – and the best place to start is as an
National Rally and AGM, they pay their own way, and they are Ordinary Committee member.
not reimbursed.
The club needs you to consider nominating for the National
FICTION – NatCom members handle the day-to-day operations Committee!

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