I have a towbar off an '85 K100RT I no longer need. The wiring harness is with it. Professionally made & the compliance plate still fitted. I have used it many times, including a trip around the block, 2 up for 3 months. I live in Gladstone Qld, & if you want it, you'll have to come & get it for free as I think it would be a bugger to post & probably cost a mint !

Oooh I'd love that....What a Ba$€@!D ! I've been on the hunt for one for ages.....as RickG says the tyranny of distance.

K7oaks wrote:I have a towbar off an '85 K100RT I no longer need. The wiring harness is with it. Professionally made & the compliance plate still fitted. I have used it many times, including a trip around the block, 2 up for 3 months. I live in Gladstone Qld, & if you want it, you'll have to come & get it for free as I think it would be a bugger to post & probably cost a mint !B

Bill is coming here for 20 March. Can bring it ?

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:

K7oaks wrote:I have a towbar off an '85 K100RT I no longer need. The wiring harness is with it. Professionally made & the compliance plate still fitted. I have used it many times, including a trip around the block, 2 up for 3 months. I live in Gladstone Qld, & if you want it, you'll have to come & get it for free as I think it would be a bugger to post & probably cost a mint !B

Bill is coming here for 20 March. Can bring it ?

Gladstone is about 1600km from me, so getting it here would be the first problem. 
I don't know how big or heavy it is to take to Ireland (via Luxembourg) on the planes, or how much excess baggage would cost. 
If those issues can be dealt with, I'm happy to bring it, but suspect it might still cost a mint. 
If we can find out size and weight, that would be a start. 

Bill

It was half in jest. But with a template we could make more. . . However the Ks differ, 88KE is 88LT mine is 84RT. Something we would love though.

How much weight is in it? Over here we get hit maybe €12 a kilo for excess airline baggage.

At the moment I'm away from home on holidays. I'd say that it would be out of the question to send it to Ireland. I don't know what it weighs, but I suppose it'd weigh a fair bit & it's bulky

I'm back from holidays. I've weighed & measured the towbar.

Weight...4.987 kgs (on the wife's kitchen scales......Hhhhhmmmmmm)
Length...865 mm.
Width...385 mm.. at the widest point.
Depth...150 mm.. at the deepest point.
It's powder coated black, & is adjustable for the height of the tow ball.

As I said before, if you want it, you're welcome to come & pick it up.
I've taken some photo's of it, so I'll try to figure out how to post them.

Bloody "eck...posting photo's here is a bit too much for a 72 year old fart !

I did it , but I couldn't figure out how to put them all in one post. Sorry about the double up of one photo.

Russians do carrying jobs like that with the H L Antanov and with the rouble depreciating it could be feasible.

K7oaks,

Click the 'preview' button after posting a picture and then you will be able to post another picture on the same post.
(That's how I do it!)

Paul.

sidecar paul wrote:K7oaks,

Click the 'preview' button after posting a picture and then you will be able to post another picture on the same post.
(That's how I do it!)

Paul.

Thanks for that Paul, Must remember that ! I'll have a trial run now to try it out
Ken

Edit

By crikey,(as someone once said), it worked ! ! ! Thanks again Paul

Gladstone isn't too far from me ...about 550 ks  or there abouts  from memory

maybe there is a chance I can head up there in the next few weeks ???? although weekend of the 31 st jan ...elections ...6,7,8 feb Karuah rally ...hmmm  

at 4.5 kilos  still a worthwhile consideration for freight send to Ireland (all folded up etc )

Let me know if you can get up here Charlie. It would be good to get it to Olaf in Ireland if we can.

will do mate

as I said not sure of timing, but would have to be a couple of weeks away soonish or mid feb and after.

you will have sold the k by then though ... fingers crossed for the right type of buyer to keep the heritage alive

cheers

If I know that you're definately coming up sometime in the next few weeks I'll keep the tow bar so that we can get it to Olaf. That should make one Irishman a happy chappy

folks ..

pleased to announce that the tow bar is in my little shack in Brisbane

thanks to Ken and Janine  ( and likely some others )

was able to pick it up from the far northern suburbs of nerangbar near Brisbane rather thnan the long road to and from Gladstone  (near where last weeks horrific cyclone crossed the coast )   would have been trapped up there for days ))

just home now ....

it looks great actually




with just a bit of road grime needed cleaning off


lets see if the next jump towards Ireland can be accommodated in the not too distant future

Janine rang & said that you'd been & picked the towbar up.
Well done Charlie, that makes stage 2 of the journey complete, stage 3 is the big jump ! Look out Olaf, here it comes...............slowly............

Hey guys this is brilliant. As I said time moves slowly, like waiting for a pint of Guinness to settle. But the best things in life come like that. However it does come with a sadness when I see the reason for it coming this way.

I don't think too many know how much of a difference this forum has made at what was a difficult time in my life- I describe it as life changing and I wouldn't be without it which bothers me when a day will come that I won't be able to ride a K. Then, I will stay on the forum because most of the guys here are larger than life.

I feel that the saga of the towbar should be recorded as a long thread on the forum.

So when are we going to get Charlie 99 up here? You need a trip of a life time and the long haul services are great, stopover at Abu Dhabi or Dubai with Emirates or Etihad.....

Watch out for the exploits of 2015 exploits of TacKler [Dave] and Indian036 [Bill]. It seems 10am Saturday 21st March Bill will be standing up against that black Guinness gate you see in the 2014 winning photo, alongside a few Eccentrics......I have plotted my weekend for it.

true indeed ken & olaf

we have successfully transferred parts up and down the east coast of aussie at no or little cost for those friends that are here ...always amazes me

we have even seen some stuff getting to odd places  quite remarkably  from the generosity and travel plans and offers from some amazing members

janine had some great things to say about kens previous commitments to rides and camaraderie on his k bike ..  which was great thing to hear ...and good to meet ...not far at all from one of twbs  previous home address  by  a street or two only.

gerty (on start up ...blowing a little sidestand smoke ) scared the willies out of her young son  ..with a polite rev or two ...son clinging to mum desperately ...but the vision was in his eyes ...wow ... I don't want to miss this ..even though I have never experienced this before  ...i squirted the old girl  few more times ..noticing the change as he realized that it wasnt that scarey after all .....I have  a feeling  that a rev head is in the making ...whether he becomes a bmw addict is just too unpredictable ...at this point ...im sure if ken passed on the info that he also had one ...i believe ...a new appreciation of grandpa will be realized . as we already know and appreciate .


lets see what can happen

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:
I feel that the saga of the towbar should be recorded as a long thread on the forum.

just a thought, could we run a raffle to raise funds for a return trip to Ireland for one lucky Krew member to deliver the towbar.

I am game for that. He might have to stay a few weeks though.....after all we might find him a K up here

If we all put some $ £ or € in a pot for a winner takes all draw........would be a fabulous way to get some one from down under to make a trip of a life time.

I'd chip in for that too. What a great idea!

K7oaks and Charlie, Olaf isn't the only one amaiting the arrival of the towbar. I hope to benefit too in being able to get a mate to copy the Dog legs and curves on his pipe bending machine and together with some drawings from RIck G I can then fabricate one for myself. That way we will double the benefit. The Foum wins again  .

Nothing definite yet, but I hope to make a second trip over this way later in the year. If so, perhaps a possibility.

A potential problem is the airline. I had hoped to bring a target rifle over for my son-in-law. Excess baggage charges on Etihad were USD60 per kilo. Made an 11kg rifle and case combo cost half its value just to get it to Abu Dhabi. More than it cost to get me there!

I think some other airlines are cheaper for an extra piece of baggage. Several friends have taken rifles overseas for competitions and haven't winged about the cost.

Bill

88KE wrote:I'd chip in for that too. What a great idea!

K7oaks and Charlie, Olaf isn't the only one amaiting the arrival of the towbar. I hope to benefit too in being able to get a mate to copy the Dog legs and curves on his pipe bending machine and together with some drawings from RIck G I can then fabricate one for myself. That way we will double the benefit. The Foum wins again  .

good to hear will

it doesn't look too hard to get the bends right ....once you have a side by side copy I guess

cheers

If an Irishman can't find ye a rifle.......

Over here was have an airline called Ryanair, everyone hates them but they are the biggest carrier in Europe. We learnt from them to fill your pockets. All the heavy stuff goes in your pockets so if your coat weighs 20kg with contents it travels free. At times my pockets have carried dry batteries, computer [yep, a notebook] books, you name it. Not sure how they would view a rifle as hand luggage [its ok as checked baggage].

I am sure we still have some 303s over here for you....

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:If an Irishman can't find ye a rifle.......

I am sure we still have some 303s over here for you....

Already have a 303, from 1915.

Rifle for son-in-law is an Anschutz model 1913 (model, not year of manufacture) .22 target rifle.   Hence the weight.

B

88KE wrote:I'd chip in for that too. What a great idea!

K7oaks and Charlie, Olaf isn't the only one amaiting the arrival of the towbar. I hope to benefit too in being able to get a mate to copy the Dog legs and curves on his pipe bending machine and together with some drawings from RIck G I can then fabricate one for myself. That way we will double the benefit. The Foum wins again  .

Will,

Sounds like there is potential for an Eccentrics & friends production line for a few of these. 

I'd certainly be up for one if a job lot was made. If the cost of each copy included a little mark up to cover the cost of the excess baggage, then that would be more than reasonable (i.e. get an idea of numbers required, divide the cost of the "shipping" by that number and, hey presto...a proportionate mark up to be added to the new materials and fabrication costs). Probably would need an idea of the anticipated overall cost at the outset in order to get some firm commitment from others that may be interested. Bearing the cost of a return passenger flight from Aus as the mark up might make the overall cost a little prohibitive and sea freight might be the cheapest option, if a little slower.

Just a thought...

Born Again Eccentric wrote:

88KE wrote:I'd chip in for that too. What a great idea!

K7oaks and Charlie, Olaf isn't the only one amaiting the arrival of the towbar. I hope to benefit too in being able to get a mate to copy the Dog legs and curves on his pipe bending machine and together with some drawings from RIck G I can then fabricate one for myself. That way we will double the benefit. The Foum wins again  .

Will,

Sounds like there is potential for an Eccentrics & friends production line for a few of these. 
..... sea freight might be the cheapest option, if a little slower.

Just a thought...

Yep Paul, I think surface freight has been arranged. I will ake a good few weeks to get here but no ones in a rush! I can get it copied in one of two local places and I think one of them has a programmable machine so if I can get him to save the pattern then they can be knocked out on Demand. The other bits I can do myself and I have a coded welder for sticking them together. We're not in this for the profit but if you wanted one we'd get it over to you.

Paul

With www.parcelmotel.com we can get one to you very easily and cheaply. I will see how much we can get them made up for here and work from that. Sea freight from Australia is ok, checked it out. Air freight is savage but we are not in a hurry. Any more takers can let us know in time.

Olaf

Will & Olaf,

All sounds good to me. I'm definitely not in a rush to get my mitts on a tow bar, but just thought that if a few of us were interested, it would be fair to share the cost of getting the "prototype" up from Aus. I'll watch this space.

Emirates allows 30kg in checked baggage allowance as compared to the usual suspects that offer 24kg.  Considering when I travelled last time I carried 25 kg with all my m/cycle gear.  Hmmmm....  And my port of arrival is Dublin.... 

I will talk with the airline in the next couple of days to confirm checked baggage allowance. 

Now, if any of the Eccentrics were to be in Istanbul on the 22/23rd of April?

??? Istanbul???

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:??? Istanbul???

Yes.  It is in Turkey.  Used to be called Constantinople, depending on your age.

Well I'll be dardanelled.


My Roman history was good.

I was more suggesting what would an Eccentric be doing in Turkey.......

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:Well I'll be dardanelled.


My Roman history was good.

I was more suggesting what would an Eccentric be doing in Turkey.......

And here I was under the assumption that the Irish were world travellers.... :pirat:

Perhaps I was mistaken.

Istanbul is next door. Turkey is more coastal resorts than scenic countryside for K touring. We can fly there no bother. But Europe is much more densely populated. So my neighbour is 1/4 mile away, not 30 miles.

Aussie Post charges $60 per 2kg, as they did for the Banner. It is slightly cheaper by surface but not by much.
another option would be to duplicate the bends in a length of aluminium tubing and send that across as a template.
Charlie, do you or Keith (Cster) have a set of bath scales to check the weight of one of those things. I need to remove mine to weigh it , could be a while till I do.

3. Select a postal service

• Country: IRELAND
  
• Location: Zone 6
  
• Parcel weight: >9.5kg - 10.0kg
  

[th]Service[/th][th]Price[/th][th]Maximum Weight[/th][th]Signature on Delivery[/th][th]Tracking[/th][th]Extra Cover[/th]

Express Courier International Platinum Help text for Express Courier International Platinum Help for Express Courier International Platinum Express delivery to 130 cities around the world guaranteed within 2 business days. Available from selected retail centres in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney only. End help Extra Cover Help text for Extra Cover Help for Extra Cover Extra cover is available where possible for added security and peace of mind. End help $ up to $5,000	$357.65	10kg	Not Available	Available	Optional
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guys ...let me get a quote from some of our os  transport companies ( trade rates )   tnt ...dhl ....etc  

the weight I think I saw as under 5 kilos

the size of package is the concern

but still need a forwarding address ...please !!!!

thanks Olaf

will work on it from this end ...when I get a chance to be back in civilisation,  and not on remote worksite everyday

ready for packing

I see cable ties...........Guinness BlacK ones!!

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:I see cable ties...........Guinness BlacK ones!!

Exciting....ain't it ?   Still can't get used to the fact that the towbar is going to Ireland

Ken

I cant believe it either.

I really felt something when I saw the wood floor in the photo.  Reminded me of so many things but most of all attention to detail and quality of things. Would have been nice of you were coming over for a visit too. I am sure it has stories to tell and I hope we can make more stories of K travels.