Extra Short Ride - Day 1

20/10/2011

I’m really excited to finally get away and head down south for a few days.

Up early, I had every intention of leaving at 7.ooam sharp, but as with everything I plan, this didn’t eventuate.  Bike loaded, goodbyes said and at 7:45am I was on my way.

First stop was to top up the tank, check the tyres and triple check I hadn’t left anything at home. At 8:00am I was on the highway, heading towards Warwick.  Traffic was light and the weather looking a bit iffy, overcast with a touch of grey.  The way things have been going so far, I was expecting the heavens to open up.  Thankfully, the rain held off so it was full steam ahead to Warwick…that was until I reached Cunninghams Gap.

Roadworks delays were worse than I expected, with 40kph speed limits and the mandatory 30 minute wait for traffic to be let down the range.  Finally pulled into

Warwick at 10:05am – over 2 hours from Flinders View to Warwick – it’s wasn’t going to be a good day. 

Fuelling up at Warwick, a guy pulled up on his new Harley, complete with dual bandanas, faceless helmet, super dark sunnies and a swagger that made him look like John Travolta in Wild Hogs.  Talking to him for a few minutes, I thought to myself – yep, a Café Cruiser if ever I’ve seen one.

Bike fuelled, it’s off to Inglewood and Goondiwindi. I was expecting the wonderful odour of rotting roos by the side of the road, and I was not disappointed…all the way to Goondiwindi.

Nice easy cruise to Inglewood, sitting in the draft of a B-Double most of the way. He was sitting on about 100 and as I was in no hurry, I sat back and enjoyed the free ride.

Arriving at Inglewood, the weather was starting to get a lot warmer, so I took a break and grabbed a cold drink from my bag.  Whilst stopped, I started up a conversation with a retired gent from the Gold Coast who was on his way to Moree to see a mate. When I told him I was heading that way, he said he’d keep an eye out for me in case I have an incident and need help.  With that, we parted, and he was soon left behind.

Inglewood to Goondiwindi is an easy ride, just a little boring with lots of scrub and open farm land.

Arriving at Goondiwindi, I kept going, not even thinking about fuel…until I got across the border and saw how far it was to Moree. I turned the bike around and headed back to Goondiwindi.  Bike fuelled, rider fuelled and back on the road to Moree.

As is my luck, about 500 metres past where I turned around, there are 2 petrol stations..oh well, it only cost me about 30 minutes back tracking for fuel.  So far I’m about 2 hours behind where I wanted to be with Dubbo as my planned overnight stop.

I kept going towards Moree, a slightly more interesting ride.  Very flat, with scrub on one side of the road, grain crops on the other. To add a bit of excitement to the ride, occasionally the scrub and grain crops would swap sides and then swap back a few minutes later.

By now, the clouds had disappeared and the temperature was rising. I pulled over to remove a layer of clothing and was greeted by a honking horn from a car passing by… the guy I’d spoken to in Inglewood.

While I was stopped, I took another drink, packed my gear away then headed off again.

Arrived in Moree just on 3:30pm, right in the middle of school rush hour.  I was careful to keep my speed down as I noticed a speed camera entering town, and sure enough, another one was sitting in the first school zone I encountered.

Stopping to restock my drinks supply, who happens to be at the shop..you guessed it, the guy from Inglewood. He mentioned he saw me pulled over and checked to make sure I wasn’t having any problems. We once again parted ways, he was off to pick up his mate, I was heading south.

Moree to Coonabarabran was an interesting ride. Once again, scrub and grain, with flat, straight roads. For a change, the smell of rotting kangaroos was no longer present…  such a pleasant surprise.  Roos aren’t much of a problem around here, it’s Bugs Bunny territory.  Dozens of the little buggers running backwards and forwards across the road.  Be it a roo or a rabbit, at 110kph, it’s gunna be messy.  It’s not just the rabbits you need to keep an eye on, foxes also have a habit of running in front of you when you least expect it.  If I had an old FJ Holden, I would have stopped and picked up a few fox tails from the side of the road.

The Newell Highway is in great condition considering the flooding recently and the amount of traffic the road handles.  Very few pot holes and no road works to slow me down.  The only problem with a road that is flat, straight and in good condition, people become complacent. You can see cars from about 2 or 3 kilometres away and it gives you plenty of time to overtake.  I had 2 near misses on this little stretch. The first was about 30km south of Moree. A car heading towards me had decided to overtake a B-Double and didn’t quite have the necessary power to get past the truck in time.  To avoid a collision, I had to stop and pull to the far left of the road, straddling the white line as he flew past on my side of the road. I hadn’t had a cigarette on my ride until this moment…I pulled over and had one, then another…I needed something to calm my nerves.

After my calm down, I cautiously got back on the bike and got back on track. No more than 20km later, a similar situation occurred. Just as I was starting to take evasive action, the car realised his mistake, slowed and dropped back being the truck…missed me by about 2 seconds…not even a near miss.

About 40km from Coonabarabran, I was flashed by an escort vehicle, not seeing anything ahead, I continued on my merry way.  As I came around the corner I saw a bridge.  Sitting in the middle of the bridge, taking up both lanes was a combine harvester.  Brakes applied and bike stopped to allow harvester to pass, then off we go again.

By now, the light was starting to fade and I decided I’d stop at Coonabarabran for the night.  As if to assist me with my decision, as I was slowing down to enter Coonabarabran, I was greeted by a mob of kangaroos standing by the side of the road.

Message received and understood – GET OFF THE ROAD.

Pulled into the local caravan park, put up the tent, grabbed a bite to eat, then sleep…

Extra Short Ride Is On

17/10/2011

As my knee has held  up after my last couple of rides, I have decided to bite the bullet (and the anti-inflams) and go off on a extra short version of my planned Long Ride.

I will be leaving home either Wednesday or Thursday, heading to the Golden Dragon Rally in Tarngulla (near Bendigo) and the Border BikeFest in my old home town of Wodonga. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with a few old school mates while I’m in town.

I’ll be heading down via the Old Putty Road & Blue Mountains, returning via Bright and Omeo in the Victorian Alps and Jindabyne and Tumut in the Snowy Mountains.

Will update as and when access allows.

A BibbleBar Is Born

14/10/2011

Since purchasing the bike, I’ve added a Ventura Rack from ZPower ( www.zpower.com.au ) to enable me to carry my junk around, and also to give the kids some kind of security that they won’t fall off. (the kids  are not too keen hanging onto the “jesus strap”).   I decided I’d have to bite the bullet and invest in a proper sissy bar so the kids feel more comfortable and the bike looks more like a weekend cruiser and less like a work bike.

I’ve looked at several dozen bar and rack combinations available for my bike and the biggest obstacle to purchasing one has been price.

I thought about purchasing a Yamaha sissy bar, with mountings and rack, and almost fell off my chair when I was quoted a price in excess of $900.  I then looked at other bar/rack combinations available and came to realise there wasn’t much chance of getting anything for less than $800 that was of any quality.

I was resigned to the fact that I was either going to have to keep using the Ventura Rack or hand over between $800 and $900 to add a proper bar and rack.  By chance I stumbled across a YouTube video on how to fit a bar and rack combination from www.bibblebar.com, a small business run from Edens Landing.  After checking out the video and the website and after reading online reviews of the products, I contact Joe and ordered an Engraved Eagle Rack with Tall Boy Back Rest with a combination License Plate/Registration Holder.  All up, including postage, the entire package cost me $550, several hundred dollars less than I was expecting to pay. 

Dealing with Joe was great and I would recommend his products to anyone.

Unlike all other bar/rack combinations I had looked at previously, the bar comes with un-drilled generic mounting plates.  This means you have to drill your own mounting holes and cut your own mounting spacers, however, the included Installation DVD gives you all the information you need and more.  I was able to drill the installation holes without too much difficulty (only mucked up once and had to drill one hole twice), however, cutting the spacers accurately was beyond my tool kit.  Problem was solved by dropping down to a local metal fabrication workshop who cut the spacers to my requirements (and quite a few spares as well) for a few dollars.

All up drilling, mounting and adjusting the bar/rack combination took about 4 hours, including running back and forth to the metal fabricators.

I now have a fantastic looking bar and rack, in shiny stainless steel…

Inglewood Loop

 

5/10/2011

I’m on holidays and just because my knee is playing up it doesn’t mean I’m not going to take the bike out for a spin.

 My original plan was to leave from the BP at Blacksoil and ride to Inglewood via Toowoomba, Pittsworth and Millmeran and then return to Flinders View via Warwick.  As with most of my rides, what I plan and where I actually go are usually two different things.

 After leaving Blacksoil, I decided I’d change my way up the Range and turned off at Gatton and go up the Range via Ma Ma Creek.  I love this road, plenty to see, quite a few twisties and very little traffic.  As is my habit, I stopped at Ma Ma Creek to grab a bacon and egg roll and coffee.  After my little break, it was time to start riding.

 I’ve ridden this road several times in the past few years and really enjoy the scenery. Despite the damage done in the January floods, the roads are still in reasonable condition, however, in some places the guard rails have been washed away and there are numerous large pot holes to catch the unwary.  The repairs to the roads that have been done in the past few weeks since I was last here have improved the surface a little, but there is still a lot of work to be done and it will probably be another 12 months before the road has been fully repaired. 

As you start up the twisty section, past Fordsdale, the road surface is breaking up a little and I had a couple of “brown pants” moments when the back of the bike started sliding. 

Once the twisties were over and done with, it’s was past the Darling Down Zoo (home of the white tigers) and on to intersection with the New England Highway.  Turning left at the New England Highway, I stopped to have a chat with some grey nomads at the rest stop.  They were trying to work out where they were, so I showed them where they were on the map and how to get to Warwick.  They went on their way and I decided I’d try out my hexamine stove and brew up a coffee.  As soon as I removed my helmet, I was greeted by a couple of the local magpie who were not happy with my presence.  It appears I had stopped directly under their nest, so it was on with the helmet and back on the road, the coffee would have to wait.

A few hundred metres down the New England Highway and it’s a right turn towards Clifton.  A few wrong turns at Clifton (and a long hard look from the local police officer) and I was off to Millmeran via Ellangowan, Leyburn and Yandilla .  The local wildlife out this way are incredible, lots of sulphur crested cockatoos, rosellas, kangaroos and even the occasional fox! I was forced to almost stop on one occasion as a cockatoo was sitting in the middle of the road, just looking at me. He stayed there as I rode past and continued watching me as I drove off.  Now this was either a very brave, or very stupid bird.

Crusing along taking the scenery I missed the Millmeran turn off just south of Leyburn and wandered down the road for several kilometres keeping an eye on the every present kangaroos.  I eventually noticed my GPS was telling me to do a U turn, so I did what I was told and started heading towards Yandilla.  Now the roads became interesting.  As soon as I crossed into the Millmeran Council area, the road went from 2 sealed lanes down to about ½ a sealed lane, not a problem in a car, but on a bike? Fortunately I only passed a couple of vehicles and being locals, they did the right thing and allowed me to stay on the black stuff.

At Yandilla, it’s a left turn onto a proper road and a couple of kilometres down the road to Millmeran and a much needed refuel, feed and drink.

While filling the bike, I was asked by one of the locals if II was associated with a certain 1% club who had been in town over the past few days.  I advised her I was not and she seemed a little happier.

Bike fuelled and rider fed, it’s off to Inglewood.  More flat farming land with the occasional scrub thrown in for good measure.  Before I knew it, I was at the intersection with the Cunningham Highway.  Turning right I eased into Inglewood and grabbed a quick drink and checked out the sky.  I hadn’t noticed but the clouds to the west had started to turn grey and were heading towards Warwick. I didn’t have any wet weather gear, so I didn’t hang around and started back towards Warwick.  The road from Inglewood to Warwick is in much better condition than the last time I drove it (about 10 years ago) so I was able to find out what my bike could really do. My old XVS250 could do a maximum of 110kph (down hill, with a strong gale behind it). The new bike, on the other hand, has no trouble doing …..let’s just say the bike has sufficient speed to enable me to lose my license on the spot and have my bike confiscated under “hooning” legislation.

Those of you who ride will know one of the differences between riding and driving, you experience all the smells of the areas you go through.  To say the odour emanating from the rotting roos by the side of the road was bad is an understatement.  The smell started about 5km from Inglewood and was with me until just before Warwick. I lost count of the number of dead roo’s by the side of the road…there must have been hundreds.

Passing through Warwick the weather was looking better so I slowed down a little and tucked in behind a couple of B-doubles and made my way to Cunninghams Gap.  Passing through Gladeville, an ambulance and fire engine screamed past.. not a good sign as there are major road works occurring at the moment due to land slides and accidents are a regular occurrence.  Just before commencing the downhill, I re-fuelled the bike and headed off.

As expected, the traffic was banked up. A car had run off the road coming up the range and was in the process of being pulled out of the drainage channel. Ten minutes later traffic started moving, only to be stopped about 2km down the road due to road works.  By the looks of it, one entire lane had fallen down the hill, so traffic was restricted to one lane.  A short delay and it’s off again.  The shipping containers stacked by the road say it all.  The containers have been placed to prevent rocks falling onto the road.  By the looks of some of the dents in the containers the rocks that are falling must be huge and the falls appear to be occurring on a regular basis.

Bottom of the range and on the home stretch.  I’ve been on the road for several hours now, and the ride has taken much longer than I anticipated, so it’s point the bike towards home and crank the right hand, easing off when approaching the usual radar site at Amberley, finishing the ride at the new BP Amberley.

All in all, an enjoyable 470km ride with lots of variety.  Next time I’m out this way, I might push a little further west and drop in on Goondiwindi…

Long Ride Is Postponed

3/10/2011

My much planned Long Ride across the Nullarbor next week has been postponed.

 I’ve been trying to rehabilitate my right knee for several months and everything was going fine, until I spent a few hours at the beach the other day.  Being over 40, and thinking I’m still a teenager, I went down to the beach with my daughter and pulled out the boogie boards…bad move.

 Everything was going fine and we were having fun until I was dumped by a wave. After the wave passed, I stood up, only to have my right leg slip into a hole.  The pain wasn’t too bad and I continued as if nothing had happened.  We went back to our unit and it was then that the pain started.  Next morning, my knee was swollen and the pain intense.

Ice packs, rest and beer took care of the pain, but I’m going to have to postpone my long ride until after I see the specialist and finally get this knee sorted out…

Comfort At Last

18/09/2011

New bike seats and middle aged bodies are not a good match.  After my first ride, it was time to do something about rider comfort so I can spend a few hours in the saddle and still be able to walk.

I’ve looked at all options, from seat covers to seat rebuilds and have settled on the following:

·         Sheep skin covers for rider and pillion seats for everyday use

·         AirHawk for longer rides

After reviewing the different seat cover option, I chose Black sheep skin covers for rider and pillion seats from Good Wool Store ( www.goodwool.com.au ). The covers are very comfortable, well priced, fit perfectly and look great.  I fitted the covers in about 5 minutes and took the bike out for a short test ride.  The seat was definitely more comfortable, but I didn’t feel I’d be able to spend hour after hours in the saddle with just the sheep skin.

Next stop was to check out the various options for softening up the seat.  I read dozens of reviews about the pros and cons of seat rebuilds, gel inserts, airbags and replacement seats.

After much consternation, I decided I’d bite the bullet and invest in an AirHawk from AirHawk Comfort Seating Systems ( www.airhawk.com.au ).  Fitting and adjusting the AirHawk took less than 10 minutes and the difference it makes is amazing.   No more hip pain, no numb bum, nothing.

Best of all, Tom from AirHawk, is a long distance rider based in Whyalla, SA. When I let him know I might be heading his way in October, he kindly offered to meet up and show me around his neck of the woods.

I’m looking forward to catching up with Tom and checking out some of his favourite places…

First Ride

28/08/2011

I need to put 1000 km’s on the bike as soon as possible so I can get the initial service out of the way.  I’m planning to head over to Norseman (WA) in mid October and I don’t want to have to stop during my trip to have the bike serviced, so it’s time to hit the road and run the bike in.

My first ride was a short 270k run, from BP Blacksoil, along the Warrego Highway to Toowoomba, then south returning down the Range via Ma Ma Creek and Gatton.

The ride was very interesting to say the least.  The road down the range from the Darling Downs Zoo to Ma Ma Creek has seen some serious damage due to the floods earlier this year.  Major land slips have occurred and areas that were once lush forest are now stripped bare.  Riding a bike heavier and more powerful than I am used to almost caught me out several times as I was negotiating the twisties.

One thing the ride did highlight was just how hard new bike seats are.  After less than 100km my bum was starting to feel sore and I needed to get off and stretch my legs.  On my old bike, I could ride for 6-8 hours with nothing more than slight numbness, but with the new bike, 8 hours in the saddle is not going to be possible for a long time.

Thankfully, the ride was only 270km, so I was able to finish the ride and still walk afterwards, although my bum, hips and knees were not in the best shape.

Time to get on the net and check out options for making the seat more comfortable…..

My New Ride

23/08/2011

I’ve been looking at upgrading my XVS250 for several months and was hoping to do this once I completed my long ride in October. I’ve been eyeing off the 2010 Yamaha XVS650 for quite a while and when I was visiting my parents at Shailer Park last weekend, I dropped into Moss Street, Slack Creek, to pick up some goodies for my ride.  While I was there, I had a chat to the guys at Pro Yamaha and told them I was interested in upgrading to the 650. While they were keen for a sale, I let them know I was only looking and wouldn’t be ready to upgrade until after I returned from my trip.  I said I’d call back later in the day to continue our discussions as I had to visit my parents.

I dropped back about an hour later and we continued our discussions. We negotiated a price and my XVS250 was taken to the workshop for an inspection so we could work out a trade-in.  After the inspection, I was advised my trade-in value and the total cost to upgrade.  The deal was very tempting, but I told them I’d think about and left it at that.

When I arrived home, I discussed the upgrade option with my wife and she seemed quite happy about upgrading the bike, especially as the little 250 gets blown around by trucks.

On Monday I received a call from Pro Yamaha asking if I was still interested in the bike.  I advised them I was and we got the ball rolling.  I left work early so I could pick up my XVS250 from home and ride it the 50km to Moss Street. I couldn’t have picked a worse day…the wind was howling and my little 250 was blown all over the Logan Motorway. By the time I reached Moss Street, I was glad to be off the bike, knowing the ride home would be much more stable.

The deal was done and keys exchanged.  So much for just looking.

Now to wait for Hammer. 

Hammer is a cruiser rider and had called to say he was on his way home and wanted to catch up and check out my new bike. I waited for about half an hour and had to leave as storm clouds were gathering and I didn’t want to ride home on a brand new bike in the rain.   As soon as I left Moss Street my mobile went off. It was Hammer.  He’d missed me by a minute or two. I let him know I was fuelling up at the 7/11 up the road.  He duly arrived, made the appropriate noises and took the mandatory photos.  I’m not sure who was more excited, him or me.

After the photo shoot, we said our goodbyes and I started heading home…straight into a large band of storms. On several occasions I thought I was going to drop the bike as the roads were slippery and the tyres were still green. What should have been a 45 minute ride home took over 90 minutes due to the number accidents caused by the wet weather. Fortunately I was able to get home in one piece without too many grey hair moments.

Once home, the bike was parked in the garage, water and mud removed and the mandatory photos taken.

While I’ll miss my little 250, I don’t think I’ll regret the upgrade.  The new bike is much heavier, more stable and has the power to keep up with traffic on the open road.

Now to start planning for my first decent ride…..