Subs are due & the AGM

Its that time of year , when your annual subscription is due, (PLEASE PAY  ASAP) and that also means the AGM is coming up for you to consider a committee position as all positions are vacant, we badly need a Treasurer and a ride/rally co-ordinator, but also a President and Vice President any position would do for you if you would want to give it a go. The club needs a strong committee to survive and we are financially in a good position, personally Ive been on the committee since 2011 thats 14 years and to tell you the truth I want to just be a normal member and have other people organise things for me, its just a dream! So what did your club give you last year for your $60 you say, well a free meal up to $30 at our last AGM IN 2024, then also a free Christmas Party, it also gave you 4 quarterly club rides, 3 rallies,( Crazy Horse, Pub & Grub, the Midday Express)  and 4 Smoke Signals E-Magazines, 2 Raffles, and pre-1949 vehicle inspection for Red Plate rego for free saving you $160+ for a RWC ,pretty well you got all your subscriptions returned good value for money I would say. Those that never attended any of the above all I can say is thats a shame because you are probably not intending to renew as my father used to say “You can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink” 

 

Winter Blues

The only thing good about winter is the Winter Smoke Signals E-Mag thats due out and if you wish to include a article contact our editor Ray pronto, he tells me a full calendar will be included of all events with dates up till March next year for you to print off and hopefully attend this will include meetings, rides, rallies and special events such as the Christmas Party. I’ve been full noise on my recent purchase of a original paint Ducati 750 GT as it had hardened its valve guide seals and smoked incessantly at cold start up worse than a London pea-souper, its only done 5,700 klm’s from new but they and it is 51 years old so I suppose it was to be expected. This is the fifth GT that I have now owned and with a couple additions like electronic ignition and the optional twin disc front end make the package very sweet to ride, this one is a rare electric starter model of which only 800 were made, the beauty as well is it falls in this clubs critera of Red Plate pre-1976 so quite the bike to own and very suitable to ride on our Special Events like Tasmania etc. that brings us to the problems and the advantage of Winter Heated clothing is available from Zarkie’s  (click on the link) and ask for Scottie then ride in comfort, I spent $1.200 down there and the difference after years of freezing your arse off is amazing now. Winterizing your motorcycle can be done with a heated seat cover or even a windscreen can help, more important is the condition of you tyres and brakes if they need fixing don’t hesitate.

MAINTENANCE, ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR

A lot of people come into my shop around September and usually complain that their motorcycle needs maintenance, almost surprised it has’nt healed itself over the winter months, really,  unfortunately your machine will require T.L.C  even just sitting and nows the time to get into it. Perhaps the annual oil change or new chain maybe a tappett adjustment or something more serious, nows the time as in the Sept-Oct months there will be the Crazy Horse rally at Myrtleford and the Pub & Grub ride in October which can be quite a few miles,  order the parts and be ready!

Who’s going to the All British Rally?

The 47th All Brit Rally is on again over the Anzac Weekend 25-27 April at Newstead, the 1000 bike line up will be in Malden on the Saturday at midday, always a fabulous weekend not to be missed

Rally round -up

Some members of our club attended this Vincent rally in February, and it is a runner up to our Gypsy Tour in 2026 to Tassie.

 

The March VOC rally to Tasmania

A bit of a test ride for next years Gypsy Tour 2026, the Vincent Owners Club rally was well attended with 82 Vincents and only my Vindian. Members Owen Jones rode his Vincati, while Dave Kimpton rode his Series C touring Rapide, our honorary member Jason Douglas drove back-up (the giant) which he will be doing next year on our Tour. Gary Rizzole rode a 1970 Bonneville and joined our small group, all the bikes in our group went well with over 1400 klms covered my saddlebag mounts broke, fortunately Owen had a small arc welder on board so it was a easy fix! The weather was reasonable only two wet days the rest were excellent. A full report will be in your next Smoke Signals, Member Guy Allen just imported a Rapide from USA so we are getting quite a number of Vincent’s in our club, I myself have just bought a 5000k Ducati GT 1974 so those Italians are also infiltrating!

A sign of the times?

How are Indian Motorcycle values holding up?
I’m currently analyzing Mecum Auction results and finding massive declines especially when you factor inflation into the sales prices.
Here is my first sample: The first bike a 1907 Indian Tri-car sold for 2015 for $181,000
in 2025 a 1907 Indian Tri Car sold for $60,000
The 1907 Indian Tri-Car that sold for $181,000 in 2015 is equivalent to $244,388.19 in 2025 dollars.
This represents a significant drop in real value of about 75%
The one that sold in 2025 is actually in nicer shape! It was a steal when you compare!
Gary Stark

Gypsy Tour of Tassie 2026

Please Click on the link below for Expression of Interest form, I know its next year but there is a restricted entry and the ferry has to be booked well in advance.

Expression of interest form copy