Please note that there will be no monthly meeting on Tuesday, 29 November.

And as per normal, nor will there be a meeting on Tuesday, 27 December.

Our next meeting will therefore be in the New Year, on Tuesday, 31 January 2023.

We do plan to have a casual catch-up at a centrally-located Melbourne café before Christmas, sometime in December. Watch the website (and our Facebook) for further details.

A newsletter for November 2022 has been emailed to all members of the Club.

Please find below a link which allows access to the newsletter via this website.

http://sr500club.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SR500-Nov2022.pdf

Also note, if you are coming to the Rally, due to the potentially damp conditions at the Bethanga Rec Reserve, please remember to bring a ‘foot’ for your motorcycle’s side stand!

Kind regards,
Committee
SR500 Club

With recent flooding having affected (and continuing to affect) many parts of the east states of the country, many roads have been damaged (or even closed) as a result.

In particular, we have been notified by Bethanga that the Murray River Road (which runs from Bellbridge to the Granya turn off, and beyond to Walwa) is badly deteriorated in places, and also the Riverina Highway to Albury, near the Lake Hume Resort.

Please take care when riding to and around Bethanga this month for our annual Rally, particularly when riding through low-lying areas, and along roads that run close to or beside rivers, lakes, and other waterways.

Be wary of flood debris that may be present on roads, and also speed restrictions (or even road closures/detours) that may exist on your chosen route to Bethanga.

We recommend that members check the VicTraffic website (or other state equivalent, if applicable) before leaving home, to check for any road warnings, closures, or detours.

https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au

For those riding up from the eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, please note that MacIntyre Lane, Yering, and Melba Highway from there to Yarra Glen is currently closed. Two other sections of Melba Highway, north of Glenburn, are damaged and speed limits of 40 km/h and 80 km/h exist in those places.

We are very saddened to hear news from Bethanga that hotel publicans Gary Paxton and Kate Middleton have passed away.

In early 2019, Gary became the new owner of the Bethanga Hotel, and quickly endeared himself to the Bethanga community. He was also well known for his geniality with hotel patrons at the many other hotels he managed in Albury-Wodonga and Melbourne during his career. In late 2020, Gary and his partner, Bridget, purchased the Granya Hotel to operate as a hotel and farm stay, and Gary’s sister, Kate, became the new owner of the Bethanga Hotel.

Like her brother, Kate was equally well-liked as the new friendly face of the Bethanga Hotel, running the premises along with her son, Daniel, and daughter, Molly.

On 12 September 2022, Gary sadly passed away suddenly and peacefully at home in Granya.

Tragically, only two weeks later, on 28 September 2022, Kate also passed away suddenly.

The SR500 Club committee wishes to express our sincere condolences to Bridget, Daniel, Molly, and the Paxton and Middleton families at this very sad time.

Please note that the Bethanga Hotel is now closed indefinitely.

VicRoads has updated a number of Club Permit forms to improve the vehicle data collected by VicRoads, and to ensure that the correct permit types and club permit plates are issued to eligible vehicles.

What do we need to do?

Updated forms are now available. Please use these current forms rather than previous versions:

• Club Permit application form
• Vehicle eligibility and standards declaration form

Why have these changes been made?

These forms now have an updated layout and align with the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021.

Club Permit application form

• There are four categories of Club Permit – of which, Classic and Historic is applicable for motorcycles more than 25 yrs old.
• Each category now has a sub-category:
  • Original – the vehicle has not been modified beyond VSI 8 or VSI 33,
  • Modified – the vehicle has been modified outside what is permitted in the Vehicle Standards or the VSI 8 or VSI 33 Guidelines, or
  • Replica – a light motor vehicle that is an individually constructed vehicle that resembles as close as practicable the appearance and dimensions of the production vehicle (manufactured more than 25 yrs ago) on which its design is based.
• The documents required for each sub-category are listed at the bottom of the form, and may include Import Approval and/or VASS Approval certificate.

Vehicle eligibility and standards declaration form

• Now includes a record of the VASS approval certificate and Vehicle import details, where applicable.

Club Permit logbook

The Club Permit logbook has been updated to align with regulation changes.

New requirement: Classic and collectible vehicles imported from 1 July 2021 will be issued a VIN that must be stamped on the vehicle

Vehicles imported from 1 July 2021 that do not already have a 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stamped into the vehicle will be issued a VIN, which needs to be stamped on the vehicle.

Club members who are considering importing a vehicle should familiarise themselves with the new requirements as explained below.

Most classic and collectible vehicles are issued a chassis number by the vehicle manufacturer. Under the Commonwealth Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and Road Vehicle Standards Rules 2019, these types of vehicles are now imported under the concessional entry pathway and recorded on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV).

As these vehicles do not have a 17-character VIN that meets the ISO standards, the Commonwealth Department of Transport Infrastructure Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC) will issue a VIN with the condition that the VIN must be stamped on the vehicle. It is an offence under the Commonwealth legislation if this condition is not complied with. A plate attached to the vehicle displaying the VIN is not acceptable.

The VIN provided by the Commonwealth via the RAV process is the identifier by which the vehicle must be known throughout Australia for registration and club permit purposes and is how the vehicle’s origin will be determined for the purpose of registration/CPS permit eligibility.

Further information

To find out more about the Club Permit Scheme obligations, speak to one of the Club Scrutineers, or search ‘Club Permit Scheme’ at vicroads.vic.gov.au