Been too busy to ride

31/10/2012

The Winter months tend to increase the amount of riding I do, mainly due to the crisp riding conditions and the brilliant weather.

Unfortunately, this winter has not been normal...training people to take over my job, starting a new job, sickness, holidays and general lack of time for anything other than living has ment I haven't been out on the bike for quite a few months.

I had to get the bike serviced in July, just to keep the warranty valid. I've done a total of 345km since then..most of that was on the Ulysses Memorial Ride.

Hopefully things will setting down at work and I'll be able to get out more often.
Until we next catch up, safe riding.

Thursty

My Boots Get A Feed

17/06/2012

I went out for a quick ride into Brisbane yesterday as I'd left a few documents I was working on at work.

Everything was going fine until I tried to merge from Coronation Drive onto North Quay. It's not the best intersection in the world..two lanes on the left wanting to merge right, one lane on the right wanting to merge left..a real pain.

Just as I was going through the merge section, an IDIOT in a wanna-be 4WD decided he wanted to merge to the right. He didn't look and almost ran over the top of me. I beeped my horn but he kept coming, so I did what I haven't had to do for a while..one left boot in the door. He soon noticed I was there and swerved left, almost hitting the car next to him. Dirty look from me and off I went. No damage to me, but I'm sure when he sees his door he'll remember to use his mirrors from now on.

I don't deliberately go out to kick car doors, but, when it's a case of do it, or get crushed, it's something you have to do.

I arrived at work in one piece, picked up what I needed and then headed back home.

Thinking the major scare for the day was over, I casually cruised back home via the Ipswich Motorway. Just my luck, the wanna-be 4WD IDIOTS were out in force. Cruising along, minding my own business, when ANOTHER 4WD (talking on his mobile phone, OF COURSE) decided his lane was too small so he started drifting into my lane. Same routine as before..horn blast, no response, another blast and he kept coming. This time, my right boot got a workout..slammed boot into door, still taking no notice.

Sick of this, and not wanting to die, I decided I needed to get his attention and get him off his phone, so I did what anyone who'd almost been run over by an ignorant W@#$ER would do, I dropped back behind him, accelerated quickly, and as I passed, made sure I'd get his attention by tapping his rear vision mirror...yeah that got his attention. Phone went down and he went back in his lane.

I tailed him for a few minutes, letting him know I was still there. When I was sure he'd learnt his lesson, I pulled up beside him, raised the front of my helmet, pointed at my eyes and mouthed a few well chosen words. I think the message got through well and clear.. when he gets home and sees the side of his 4WD, he'll probably keep is eyes open for bikes in the future.

Both of these incidents occurred in areas covered by video cameras, so I might receive a visit from the boys/girls in blue. If I do, I'll happily chat with them about the incidents and maybe, after viewing the video, they'll take it easy on me...maybe, maybe not.

I'm usually a calm person, but sometimes, you have to get aggressive if you want to stay alive. If both of these IDIOTS learn something from this, and maybe mention what happened to their friends, the roads might be a little safer for those of us who prefer to travel on two wheels...we can only hope.

Thursty

Location:Brisbane

My Girl Gets A New Voice

19/05/2012

One thing I've really missed on my new bike has been the roar of my old bike. Sure, it was only a little 250cc V-Star with standard exhaust, BUT, the previous owner removed the baffles before I bought it. It sounded much bigger than it was, with a deep, throaty roar whenever I took off, or dropped down a gear.

My new bikes exhaust system make the bike really quiet and it doesn't sound like a motorbike. As one of my acquaintences pointed out it, it sounds like a sewing machine. I didn't take it as an insult, just as a constructive comment.

I could live with it, but I had plans to replace the exhaust with something a little louder (for safety purposes, honestly). After the ANZAC Day ride with the Vietnam Vets, I decided I was going to have to do something about it as I was embarassed at how odd the bike sounded compared with all the other bikes.

Don't believe it sounds like a sewing machine, just click the video below for proof:

XVS650 V-Star with standard exhaust

Really impressive, huh

Mind made up, I contacted Dean at Express Motorcycles (www.expressmotorcycles.com.au) and organised a shiny new set of Vance & Hines pipes. Pipes fitted, and away we go.

First thing I had to do was take the bike out to the Centenary Highway Extension to see and hear for myself what difference the new pipes had made. Let's just say it's like a completely new bike. The bike now sounds like it has balls, and whereas before no-one would notice the bike, I now notice drivers looking in their mirrors and are well aware that I'm there.

Here's the sound of the bike, post transplant:

XVS650 with new Vance & Hines

Slight difference, huh. Now, I'm not sure if it's the pipes, or the fact that the sound makes the right hand twist harder, but the bike now seems to accelerate much quicker and reach the speed limit very quickly. I did manage to stretch the bikes legs for a few minutes and it didn't seem to have any difficulty reaching and passing my previous top speed, so I'll have to keep a little more control on the throttle from now on...don't want to attract too much attention from the Smurfs.

ANZAC Day 2012

25/04/2012

My family has a link to ANZAC Day (my great uncle was diverted from ANZAC Cove and spent most of World War 1 in Egypt and France). My dad (named after my great uncle) did 20 years in the Army, 12 months spent in Vietnam in the late 60’s, my older brother did 20 years in the Army and his daughter is currently in the Air Force. As you can see, I'm from a military family, and as such, the day has special meaning to my family. ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club “Bunker” has become a bit of a tradition for me.

For the past few years, I have made my way to the “Bunker”, usually with my daughter Ashleigh in tow, for the Dawn Service, breakfast with my parents, followed by the group ride into Brisbane for the ANZAC Day march. This year was a little different than usual. Unlike previous years, Ashleigh and I left home at the appointed hour (3:15AM) without the usual multiple layers of clothing. Normally we’d leave with 3 or 4 layers of clothing, thermal lined jackets, winter gloves and balaclavas. This year, the weather gods were kind to us, so with only a single layer of clothing and our summer safety gear on, we headed off to McDonalds Yamanto for our traditional ANZAC Day pre-ride coffee.

While drinking our coffees we chatted with several people who were on their way to the various ANZAC Day dawn services around the area. At our appointed departure time (4:30AM), we hopped onto the bike and made our way to Kingston, a short 30 minute ride away. Crusing down the Centenary Highway Extension at Ripley, I realised why I don’t normally go this way when it’s dark – lots of “mobile speed humps” (kangaroos) bouncing across the road, as well as “tin top drivers” who don’t know the difference between “low beam” and “HIGH BEAM”. I don’t know how many times I had to turn my head to the left to avoid losing my vision (not good when the roo’s are hopping all over the place) , and I think I might have worn out the HIGH/LOW switch on the bike flashing the oncoming traffic.

After getting off the Centenary Highway Extension, it was on to the Logan Motorway – divided highway at last and no kangaroos. Within a short time we were heading off at Loganlea and a few minutes later we pulled into the Bunker. We arrived at just after 5:00AM and there was already over 100 bikes and a few cars on site. Getting off the bike, I noticed my mum and dad had turned up (dad hasn’t been to a Dawn Service for almost 30 years, so to see him here was great).

The Dawn Service was emotional, though provoking and totally different to a "normal" Dawn Service. Yes, Dawn Service is about the sacrifices made on the beaches and cliffs of Gallippoli, however, this is the one Dawn Service I have been to that specifically mentions the sacrifices, both physically and emotionally, made by the Vientam Veterans. This is one of the reasons I keep coming back year after year... I've seen first hand the impact Vietnam services has had on my father and many of his comrades.

After the service, I caught up with Ashley & Mephisto. This is the once place I know I'll be able to catch Ashley as he now rides with another club and it's not often we get a chance to catch up. After a quick catchup and photo we said our farewells and each departed to do engage in our own ANZAC Day traditions. For Ashleigh and myself it was onto the bike for a quick ride over to Shailer Park for coffee at my parents place.

After coffee and general catchup, it's back on the bike, returning to the Vietnam Vets Bunker to catch the pre-ride briefing before the group ride into Brisbane. Leaving the Bunker, I was expecting to queue up on the road as usual, waiting for all bikes to leave as one group. This year everyone took off at a quick pace heading for the Pacific Motorway. Once we arrived at the Motorway, all the bike pulled over to the side of the road until the last bike arrived.

AND THEY'RE OFF

Hundreds of bikes fired up their engines and left as one, merging into the center lane of the motorway. I'm not sure how it looked to the spectators, but from my position (about mid pack) the stream of bikes heading down the highway was an awesome sight. The roar of a few hundred bikes cruising along the motorway was incredible. Being in the middle of the noise is enough of a reason to get up so early.

While it was not ment to be a race, at times my speedo was reading slightly above the posted speed limit. I'm the first to admit that it’s a little scary riding at about 100kph, a couple of meters from the bike in front of you, with another next to you, when a car tries to force it’s way in. A quick flash of light, a dirty look and a raised boot seems to be more than sufficient encouragement to make the car back off. (lucky for him as I haven’t had to kick a car door for a while and my steel capped boots were hungry).

Down the freeway and off ramp into Brisbane. The riders in front of us were separated from the main group and after taking a few “wrong” turns, we ended up in Elizabeth Street, taking up both sides of the road. I’m not sure how many bikes were on the ride, but the road was full on both sides, so I’m guessing somewhere in excess of 200 or so.

After catching up with family during the march, it was back on the bike, destination home.

Queensland Government Motorcycle Safety

25/05/2012
The Queensland Government has a web site dedicated to motorcycle safety and rider education.

The site is located at http://www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au/index.php/qt/index/.

This web site contains lots of useful information for both novice and experienced riders.

Even if you've been riding for years, please make use of the site and resources it contains.

You never know, there could be something you find on the site that one day may save your life.

An Inspirational Old Biker

23/10/2011

I was invited by the members of the Albury/Wodonga Ulysses Club to help set up for the Bike Fest and to attend a "film night" with a special appearance by Doug Sunderland, an 87 year old biker, who was going to provide commentary to a couple of documentaries made about him and his "home video" of white water rafting down the Zambezi River.

Well, I'm in town & haven't been able to catch up with any of my old school friends (very few of them still live in the area, and those that do weren't allowed out to play with a silly old biker from Queensland) so I volunteered to help out for an hour or two and then settled down to videos and drinks under the "big top".

About a dozen people turned up to pack "sample bags" and set up for Sunday's event. After everything was completed, we all grabbed out seats, drinks, nibbles, etc and sat back for the next couple of hours with Doug providing commentary to the SBS special (Grey Voyagers - Born To Ride) about his bike trip through Nepal, the ABC special (Australian Story - On Your Bike) about his solo ride around Australia when he was 85 and his white water raft trip down the Zambezi River. Not sure how many of you have done any of these things, but this is only a small example of what he's done over the years. Doug was not in the best of health as he'd recently broken a hip, no, not from a bike fall, but a fall in the kitchen. Even though he was walking with the assistance of a crutch and was in great pain every time he sat down or got up from a chair, he refused any assistance. I found out the hard way that when he says he doesn't need a hand, he doesn't WANT a hand. Despite his pain and discomfort, he still made himself available for those who attended.

During the videos, Doug would stop the show, filling in details of what was going on at the time, making everyone feel that they were part of the shows, not just watching them. While the SBS and ABC shows were interesting, the really fun part of the night came when Doug started to show his Zambezi River trip. He provided background about how he managed to get to the Zambezi River (backpacking through Africa) and then let the video roll, stopping at each set of rapids and explaining what was dangerous about them and what to watch out for.

Watching the video and seeing everyone getting thrown around the raft, I was wondering how I'd handle the pummeling at my tender age, let alone how I'd go in another 40 years, To see Doug paddling down those rapids with everyone else was really inspiring. To see him fly out of the raft, get smashed against the rocks and then washed down the river was disturbing & to find out the damage the rapids inflicted on him, yet didn't kill him, showed he's one tough person.

After his little excursion in the water, it was off to the "hospital" to have his smashed shoulder "attended to" (read left alone, no treatment, no drugs, nothing). To find out he checked himself out of the hospital a few days later & then flew home to Australia before seeing a real doctor, shows the guys not just tough, he's bloody unbreakable.

Doug's a real bloke..a spade is a spade, not an implement for digging, and if I could boil down his philosopy on life into a few words, it would be - GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND DO IT.

Not real subtle, but, then again, after talking to him for an hour on the Saturday night and another 30 minutes on the Sunday, there's nothing subtle about Doug.

When talking to him on Saturday night, I mentioned I'd ridden down from Brisbane to attend the Bike Fest and was heading back on Monday. I mentioned that lots of people I'd spoken to before I left suggested I should go home via the Snowy and Blue mountains, go here, go there. I asked him what he thought was worth doing, where he recommened I should go. He looked me in the eye and gave me the most inspirational and honest words I've ever been the recepient of.

His words were : "F... where other people say you should go. Go where you want, when you want, the way you want."

This comment really sums up Doug..he's nobody's person except his own and if he's doesn't want to do something, he'll sure as hell let you know.

I feel honoured to have spent some time with Doug and cannot wait to catch up with him again.

If you want to find other peoples reactions to having a close encounter with Doug, check out the following pages:

The Old Bloke

Cavalry Of One

If you want a deeper insight into how Doug thinks, I'd recommend to check out his submission to the Victorian Parliament's Road Safety Advisory Council.

Doug's Submission

Extra Short Ride - Day 6

25/10/2011
Today was my last planned day of riding. I had over 800km to ride today and the weather when I woke up did not look promising.

The rain from overnight had cleared, however, the sky to the south (where the weather was coming from) was pitch black. With no time to waste, I got organised, threw down a quick coffee and headed off, trying to stay ahead of the approaching storms.

I’d heard a lot about how bad the coast road was north of Raymond Terrace. I’m sorry but I must have been on a different road, because the surface was fine, very few potholes and I was easily able to keep to the speed limit. There were the occasional road works and detours through side tracks, but other than that, I wish the roads back home were half as good as what I was on.

2 hours and 150km after leaving Raymond Terrace, it was time for breakfast and a refuel at Taree. I wasted a bit of time over breakfast making sure the bike was in tip top shape and all bolts were tightened. Before I knew it, the rain started again, so it was back on the bike and keep heading north to try to outrun the rain. 30 minutes later I was forced to pull over as I had outrun the rain and was now confronted with clear skys and temperatures near 30 degrees….not bad riding conditions, except I still had my wet weather gear on. Getting out of the wets, the bike was repacked and it was off north again.

The highway between Taree and Kempsey is one of the more interesting roads to ride. The road winds up and down hills and the landscape changes from open grazing land to thick eucalypt forest on a regular basis. Arriving at Kempsey, I stopped off at one of the parks that have been set aside for travellers. All up, there was about 40 caravans/campervans in the car park. Obviously I’d stumbled upon a Grey Nomad meeting place. I managed to talk one of the nomads into making me a coffee and ended up having lunch with them. Funny what you can get out of people if you just ask.

Well fed and rested, it was time for a quick refuel and then I was off again. By now the temperature was getting even warmer and I was tempted to pack away my jacket and pants and just ride in t-shirt and jeans. I decided against it and kept going. No more than 15 minutes later, I’m glad I did. I caught up to a gravel truck and as I was preparing to pass him I was hit by 3 pieces of gravel..one in the helmet, one in the arm and one in the chest. If I didn’t have my jacket on, I’d have been in a world of pain. As it was I ended up with a small bruise on my chest. Without the jacket, it probably would have broken a rib, or worse.

Approaching Coffs Harbour, the heat was getting unbearable when all of a sudden, I caught the first wiff of a sea breeze. The temperature felt like it had dropped 10 degrees and I was feeling quite cool. The change in temperature really lifted my spirits. Feeling more comfortable, I stopped in to the Big Banana to get the blood flowing in my legs for a while, partake in a cold drink and take a few photos (hey, I’m on holidays, and as such, I’m allowed to be a tourist).

Refreshed and able to feel the seat again, I headed north, next stop Grafton. Not much to report on this leg of the trip, just the occassional roadworks and views of the surf disappearing behind hills. It was very tempting to call it a day and spend a few hours at the beach, but I had a goal of making it home today, so onwards I went.

Arriving at Grafton, it's food and fuel AGAIN (I don't want to go near a McDonalds for a long time). Leaving Grafton, trees and hills are replaced by the floodplains and sugar cane fields along side the Clarence River. The scenery was spectacular as the cane harvest was in full swing, trucks and cane waste everywhere. The road on this stretch was really bad, potholes, rough surfaces and small towns with the local Smurf’s taking photos. I had to really concentrate on my riding as I hadn’t ridden all this way to have an accident within sight of the finish line.

Just prior to leaving the Clarence River, I stopped in at the Ferry Park Cafe at the Clarence Coast Visitors Center for a snack and coffee overlooking the south arm of the Clarence River. Having a coffee on the deck overlooking the Clarence River South Arm was one of the most enjoyable things I've done on this trip. I’ve stopped here several times over the years and I'd strongly recommend if you are down this way to drop in and have a break here. The food and coffee are great and the deck is a very relaxing place to chill out. To me it signifies the last of the “country riding” is over and it’s time to get ready for “motorway riding” – multi lane roads, off ramps…basically the end of the “fun” part of the trip.

Full of sugar and caffine, it’s off to fight the traffic and roadworks that are Ballina. It’s just before 5:00pm when I reach Ballina – peak hour. Peak hour traffic and roadworks at the Shopping Centre’s on either side of the Pacific “Highway” were terrible and it took a good 15 minutes to go 2kms. Unfortunately, this ment that by the time I arrive at the “castle” it had already closed so I was unable to pick up a little present from the family – they LOVE their macadamia nuts.

Open the throttle over the top of the hills then down the range towards Byron Bay. The view from the top of the range is incredible and the road would be quite dangerous if it wasn’t for the 60kph speed limit and the local Smurfs who were out making sure everyone complied. One day I’m going to ride that piece of road in the wet – just to see if it’s as scary as I think it would be.

Past Byron Bay, we are well and truly on to divided highway – riding through tunnels and farmland with the occasional “furry speed hump” out feasting on some poor farmers crop.

I’m sure the NSW Main Roads Department (or whatever they are called) has made a conscious decision to ensure that all drivers heading to the Gold Coast arrive there stressed out and as late as possible. The roadworks approaching Tweed Heads were something to see..10km of single lane (on a multi-lane road… OF COURSE). Someone must have thought it a good idea to have everyone travel in the left lane for 200 meters, then swap to the right, then back to the center, and so on. This continued all the way to the Seagulls turn-off. After 30 minutes crawling along and swapping back and forwards, I decided it was time for a break and a last fuel-up before home, so I took the Seagulls turnoff and eventually located a petrol station.

Fueled up and fed and it’s time to point the bike north again for the last sprint home.

The ride from Tweed Heads (or there abouts) was a breeze. Under the runway and back into QLD – time to turn your watch back and gain an hour (I’m going to need the extra hour as I’m already running about 2 hours behind schedule) Scooting along at “about” the speed limit, I was through the back of the Gold Coast and onto the main part of the “Gold Coast Speedway” in no time. I’m sure there is no speed limit on this road. I’m crusing along in the left lane, doing a little over the posted speed limit and everyone is flying past as if I’m sitting still. Even cars in the left lane are flashing me, trying to make me go faster. ”Who care’s when I get home” I thought, my only concern is getting home in one piece.

Passing Yatala I spotted the last of the “photographers”, checked my speed and touched the brakes a little to ensure I didn’t receive a “holiday snap” as a reminder of my trip. Over the Logan River and onto the Logan Motorway, my trip was almost at an end. From here on, I really had to concentrate. I’ve done this ride so many times I could do it with my eyes closed (and as I was starting to feel tired I was afraid I would).

Rather than tangle with the “mobile speed humps” on the Centenary Highway extension, I followed the motorway through to the Ipswich motorway and finally arrived home, late, exhausted and most importantly, in one piece. Looking back on my little adventure, I’ve realised I learned a lot about riding (and myself).

Here are the key things I learnt on my ride:

• DO NOT put new accessories on your bike just before leaving
• DO NOT expect to do unrealistic distances
• ALWAYS expect things to break/fall off
• DO carry a spare bottle of water
• DO talk to people when you have a break
• DO ride within your limits AT ALL TIMES
• DO stop when you need to, not when your itinnery says so
• ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings
• ALWAYS be prepared for changing weather conditions
• ALWAYS HAVE FUN

and of course

• KEEP THE SHINY SIDE UP.

Extra Short Ride - Day 5

24/10/2011

Today it's time to start the relaxing ride back to sunny Queensland.  It was my intention to ride from Wodonga to Tumut today, via Corryong and Cooma.  Unfortunately, a quick check of the BOM site upon waking put those plans out the window….80-100kph winds, heavy rain and hail were forecast to hit the Snowy Mountains by midday, just in time for my arrival.  With this wonderful forecast, I changed plans (yet again) and decided I’d try to outrun the approaching foul weather and shoot straight up the Hume Highway, destination Lithgow.

 Leaving my accommodation at 7:30, I started heading north, first scheduled stop, The Dog On The Tuckerbox. 

It was going to be an interesting ride today.  As soon as I left the relative protection of Albury, the approaching storms started to provide a hint of the weather that would head this way.  Most of the way from Albury to Gundagai I was forced to ride with a strong lean on the bike due to the winds hitting me from the left.  On several occasions I was blow across lanes and thankfully there was no traffic in the other lane.

 Riding today was going to be relatively easy as I’ll be on divided highway almost all of the way.

First stop was at Gundagai for fuel and feed, then off to the Dog for the mandatory photo shoot and souvenir purchase.

 Back on the road, the wind had died down, however, the dark clouds were still following and it started to rain.  20 minutes later I was out of the rain, but the wind had started up again.

 Before I knew it I was at Yass for refuel and feed.  2 bikes and a trike from the bike show pulled and we started to chat.  They were from Sydney and were heading home. I had seen them pulled over earlier in the morning adjusting their bikes. When I mentioned I had seen them a few hours before, they said their bags had been getting blown around by the wind and they had to repack their bags with all the heavy gear in the left saddle bag to give some stability in the wind.

Cruising on a motorway for hour after hour starts to play with your head…no traffic heading towards you to worry about, smooth road surfaces and very few vehicles passing you due to the number of speed cameras.  On a couple of occasions my mind started to wonder looking at the scenery and enjoying the smells of the countryside.  To break the monotony, I took several off ramps and called in to some of the small towns and played tourist.

After Yass, it was on towards Sydney and the Blue Mountains.  Fuelling up at Campbelltown, I noticed a lot of smoke in the direction I was heading.  I started up the radio app on my phone and within a few minutes I knew I wasn’t going to get to Lithgow tonight. A large bushfire had taken hold near the Three Sisters and smoke from the fires had caused the main road to Lithgow to be closed.  Once again I had to change my plans and decided I’d ride through to Singleton via the Old Putty Road. 

Roadworks on the “freeway” were slowing me down and at the rate I was going, I knew I wasn’t going to get to Singleton before sunset – not a good idea when I’d have to ride over 100km through national parks with all the furry speed bumps.  Time for another change of plans.  I decided I'd be heading to Raymond Terrace.  Fortunately, I’d been this way several times and knew there was only about 20km of riding where kangaroos might cause an issue.

 Finally working through the traffic, I pulled off at Edmondson Park, had a feed and headed towards tonights destination. 

I was not looking forward to the Sydney traffic, but turning on to the WestLink M7 Toll Road, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the traffic flowed.  20 minutes from Edmondson Park to Beecroft during peak hour. If only the roads were this good back home.

After Beecroft, it was a 20 minute crawl to get onto the highway again and then it was 110kph, multi lane freeway for the next hour or so. Just as I entered the freeway, the rain started and it was with me for the rest of the day.  

Arriving at Beresfield just on sunset, I refuelled again, grabbed another bite to eat and then rode the last 20 or so kilometres trying to see where I was going.  Finally arriving at Raymond Terrace, I pulled in at the first place I saw, Pacific Gardens Van Village, very tired and very wet.  12 hours on the bike is enough for anyone. 

 Pacific Gardens Van Village is a great little place to stay. The cabins sleep 6-8 people and are excellent value for money.  The on-site Chinese restaurant does an excellent Sweet & Sour Pork and it sure tasted better than any of the foods I’d eaten during the day.  I’ll definitely be calling in next time I ride through.

Extra Short Ride - Day 4

23/10/2011

After yesterdays problems, I was looking forward to a nice quiet day of rest and relaxation.  Today was the day of the Albury / Wodonga Border Bike Fest, the reason I’d come all this way.

After last nights catch up with a few of the Albury / Wodonga Ulysses Branch members, I was looking forward to see how the event panned out.

The Bike Fest was held on the Lincoln Causeway (the Mad Mile) between Albury and Wodonga. When I arrived, I was blown away by the number of bikes already there…hundreds of them.  There was every type of bike you could imagine…drag bikes, customized cruisers, dirt bikes, early Enfields, BSAs, Raleighs, Bradburys, Matchless and Indians.  The oldest bike I could find was a 1914 Indian, however I’m sure there were older bikes there.

After I’d spent a few hours at the Bike Fest, I decided to go for a short loop around the Hume Weir and call in to a few of the old haunts.

 Leaving the Bike Fest, I headed north, crossing the Murray River and back into NSW.  A few minutes later, it was past the new Albury Base Hospital and Airport then on towards the Hume Weir. I haven’t been here since  the late 70’s and didn’t know what to expect.  Suprisingly, apart from a few more houses, the area has hardly changed.  I intended to ride over the Weir wall and head towards Tallangatta.  Unfortunately, the Weir road has been closed to all traffic, so rather than take the low road at the bottom of the weir, I decided to head to Tallangatta via Bethanga. 

Crossing Bethanga Bridge is great on a bike..steel frames to the side and overhead, straight, flat concrete below and water views to the side. It was very tempting to open the throttle and see what my bike could do.  I resisted temptation and kept to the speed limit, turning right at the end of the bridge.  Ahh, back in Victoria again.  Now the real fun began.  Passing through Bellbird, I made myself comfortable and headed towards Bethanga, taking a few detours on the way to check out the water skiers and hang gliders.

One thing I had to be conscious of was the amount of dirt and gravel on the roads, especially on corners and intersections.  Several times I had to quickly slow down due to large gravel patches on the roads, or sealed roads suddenly turning into dirt.  Calling into Bethanga, I stopped at the pub and grabbed a quick drink to make up for yesterday.  I could quite happily have stayed for a few hours, but, I had places to go, and didn’t really want to be stuck here because I’d had one drink too many.

 Off again following the signs to Tallangatta. Unfortunately, the road turned to dirt a few kilometres from Bethanga.  I didn’t like the idea of riding on the dirt road, mainly because the surface was like riding on ice, the bike sliding all over the place.  No matter what I did, I didn’t feel in control, so after about 2 km, I turned back the way I’d come, heading back towards Bethanga Bridge and into NSW.

 A few minutes later I was back where I started two hours before.  Taking the “low” road, I soon passed what remains of the Trout Farm, then across the bridge and back in Victoria.

 Following the road a short way, I turned onto an unnamed dirt track that led to the base of the weir wall. Once again I was having flashbacks to my childhood. I spent so much time on or in the Murray and it’s tributaries, so I did something I always used to do. Shoes, socks and bike pants off and into the water for a quick dip. The water was as cold and clear as I remembered it. I received a few weird looks from the few people around, but they probably thought I was some crazy drugged out biker, so they left me alone. 

 After the quick cool off and several cups of Murray River water I dried off, got dressed and jumped back on the bike, past the newly upgraded resettlement village at Bonegilla. Warning signs at the Tallangatta turn off advising of delays of up to 45 minutes took Tallangatta off my destination list for today. Turning right I opened up the throttle, past an old primary school friends farm (hi Fiona) and headed into Killara, slowing down as I hit the 60 zone. From here it was a short ride to my old Primary School at Bandiana, then on to the Black Stump Hotel (Perry’s Pub) for a cold ale and a bite to eat.

Extra Short Ride - Day 3

22/10/2011

Up early after a good nights sleep and a forecast of slightly cooler weather, I was looking forward to todays riding.

 Checking the BOM web site, I noticed severe storms were forecast around Bendigo area at about the time I was due to pass through. Weather in Wodonga was forecast to be fine, so it was no choice – 280k ride to Wodonga in fine weather, or 600k to Tarnagulla, through storms (and what turned out to be 6 inches of hail).  Wodonga was going to be my destination today. I phoned a contact in Wodonga and found out there was a ride on and they were going to be at Bethanga Pub at about midday.  Plenty of time to cover the distance and catch up with them by midday.  Bike packed and fuelled and off I go, a nice easy ride without any problems, or so I thought.

Leaving West Wyalong and turning my bike in the direction of Wagga Wagga, the road was smooth, in good condition and the weather was clear with a cool breeze, perfect conditions.  Before I realised it, I had passed through several small towns (and the mandatory speed traps) and reached Wagga Wagga.  After fueling my bike and grabbing a drink, I checked the time and realised I had plenty of time to complete the remaining kilometres and make it to Bethanga before midday. With a lunch appointment to look forward to, it was off again.  Leaving Wagga Wagga, it’s onto the Olympic Way to Albury.  I haven’t been on this road since the late 70’s and couldn’t remember what it was like.  After a few minutes, the memories came flooding back…not rough, just constantly up and down, like a mild chop on the water.  Cruising along and starting to drift off with the constant vibrations, I took a break at The Rock and checked the bike to make sure nothing had worked it’s way loose.  Everything seemed OK, but little did I know the next 50kms had in store for me.

Leaving The Rock, the road became even worse, really shaking the bike and testing my ability to concentrate.  4km south of The Rock, my handle bar mounted Go Pro camera decided it had had enough and the mount snapped, dropping the camera between the handle bars and the bike windscreen.

I checked my mirrors, made sure the trucks behind me were far enough back and jammed on the brakes, stopping just as the camera fell onto the road

Camera and case weren’t damaged, but it now ment I could not capture any video until I could find a replacement mount…nothing too major to worry about, it’s not like the bike is broken.

Camera thrown in the saddle bag and it’s off again.  In an hours time I’ll be sitting at the Bethanga Pub having lunch and laughing about the camera breaking.   10km later, the road caused another failure..my GPS mount failed.  Fortunately, it was only the plastic mounting ring..the GPS stayed attached, just sitting at a 90 degree angle.  I pulled over in a truck rest stop to remove the GPS and have a drink.  Bad move..if you’ve ever been near a fly blown sheep carcass, you’ll known what I mean. It seems a truck had stopped there a few days before and dumped 3 sheep that had died.  The smell was horrendous, and the flies were even worse. GPS was removed, safely stowed and drink forgotten about.  Off we go again…what else could go wrong ??

It is said that things always happen in 3’s. I can confirm this is correct.  Not long after getting back on the road, I noticed my tent had moved a little on my rack. Nothing unusual as a little bit of movement happens when the straps loosen.  A few minutes later I noticed it had moved  so much that it was no longer visible in my right mirror. I checked the left and it was still there, but it appeared to be way to the left and hanging down more than usual. As I had just entered Yerong Creek, I slowed down and pulled into a side street to sort out the problem. When I stopped and looked back I knew today was not my day….the rack and sissy bar were at a 45 degree angle…the mount has failed and left a large gouge in my guard!!!!!

 ( see Note 1 below for reason for failure)

So here I am, on the side of the road, in a small country town, miles from where I want to be, trying to work out how I’m going to get the failed rack and sissy bar, my tent and mattress packed into already overstuffed saddle bags. After about 20 minutes I had removed the rack and sissy bar, repacked the saddle bags as best I could and, with sleeping bag, tent and mattress attached to the pillion seat, started heading off to my lunch appointment.  No sooner had I started off, I stopped again…the wind was blowing the tent and mattress around too much to consider leaving them on the bike. With much reluctance, I removed the tent and mattress and placed them beside a tree with a note saying “Help Yourself”. 

By now, I realised I was not going to make my lunch appointment, so I opened up my hexamine stove, made myself a coffee and had a good hard think about whether this ride was really one of my better ideas.

Finally back on the road, and knowing that nothing else could go wrong, I rode on to Wodonga to check in with the guys setting up for Sunday’s Bike Fest.  After a quick introduction and finding out what was going on over the weekend, I headed off to find a replacement tent.  After much searching in both Wodonga and Albury, I finally gave up looking for a tent and decided to book into a motel – easier said than done as there were a lot of “events” going on in Albury over the weekend.  Sixteen motels / hotels later, I was finally able to get a room..nothing flash, but better than sleeping under a tarp.

Once the bike was unloaded and I’d had a couple of cool, refreshing ales, I went over the bike and checked that nothing else had fallen off.  All other bike parts were present and accounted for, however, I did have to tighten 18 bolts …even the windscreen bolts that had been sprayed with Lock Tight had worked their way loose !!!

I knew the road was bad, but I didn’t think it was that bad.  The road once again was the OLYMIC WAY between WAGGA WAGGA and ALBURY.  You might want to avoid it in your travels…I know I will in future!!!

Note 1 :

I discussed the failure with the supplier when I returned home.  He was shocked to see what had happened and between us we workout out the possible causes for the failure:

·         Incorrect mount was supplied – correct mount was supplied without charge;

·         Incorrect fitting – I DIDN’T FOLLOW THE MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS !!!! If I had I would have realised I had the incorrect mountings.

·         Overloading – I PUT TOO MUCH ON THE RACK !!!!!

Extra Short Ride - Day 2

21/10/2011

After a really bad nights sleep, I wasn’t looking forward to today. If I wanted to get to Tarnagulla today, I was looking at over 900km today. My back was aching and I didn’t sleep very well due to the cold.  According to the caravan park manager, it got down to about 1 degree last night..funny, it was 12 degrees the night before. I slowly got out of bed, stood under a hot shower to ease my back, pack up the bike and hit the road…once again at 8:00am, not the planned 7:00am.  Not my fault this time, I’m blaming Daylight Savings (I forgot to move my clock forward, so my alarm went off an hour later than it should have).

Leaving the caravan park, I headed straight to the local bakery to fuel myself.  Tires and baggage checked, and it’s off to Gilgandra.

Once again, grain crops and scrub to keep me company.  The ride into Gilgandra was uneventful and before I realised it, it was time to fuel the bike and top up my drink supply. It was only 9:00 and already it was getting warm. Back on the road and after a few minutes I pulled over because the bike was making a lot more noise than before I stopped. I gave the bike the once over and everything seems fine. Another 20km later and I pulled over again…it was going to be one of those days. This time it finally dawned on me…I’d left my ear plugs at Gilgandra, no wonder I was hearing things I hadn’t heard before. A quick search through my bags and no spare plugs to be found, I’m sure I packed them. Oh well, too late now, so it’s onwards and southwards.

Cruising into Dubbo, my day was already shot, so todays going to be a tourist day. A quick detour to the Western Plains Zoo for a coffee overlooking the Ring Tailed Lemurs, then back on the road for one of the two things I really wanted to do on this trip – detour to The Dish, north of Parkes.

Dish sighted on my left, turnoff located and it’s a quick five minute ride to the carpark.  While approaching the access road, I crashed through a swarm of bees that decided to hover about 3 feet above the ground.  Lots of bees died that day.  When I arrived at the carpark, I checked myself for stingers and bodies stuck in my clothing. Cleaning done, it’s inside for a quick look, take the mandatory photos and back on the road, slowing down as I approached the bee swarm.

Back onto the Newell, it’s into Parkes for a feed and refuel. My back was really playing up and the heat was starting to get to me. What should have been a 15 minute break stretched into 45 minutes.

Reluctantly, I got back on the bike and for the first time, I started to think this ride was not the best idea I’ve ever had. I’d only done about 250km in over 4 hours and there was no way I was going to do any decent distance today.

I struggled along, passing grey nomads every few minutes – it must be migration season, the roads are full of them.

About 50km from West Wyalong, my vision started playing up. The heat was unbearable and I contemplated removing my riding gear and just riding in jeans and a t-shirt. I pulled over in the shade and lay down, drinking the last of my supply.  Here I was, 50km from a town, out of drinks and feeling the effects of the heat.  After a short while, I crawled back on the bike and slowly made my way to West Wyalong, stopping occasionally to clear my head.  I finally reached West Wyalong at 2:30pm, found the nearest pub and went in for a long, cold drink in the air-conditioning.  It must have been hot, even the locals were complaining about how hot it was (I later found out it was about 35 degrees at midday and got hotter after that.)  That was that, I decided my riding for the day was over. I checked into the local caravan park, set up the tent and headed back to the pub until it cooled down outside. 

Back at the caravan park, I ran into a park resident, George, who’d recently arrived from NZ.  George is a six foot four, 120kg Kiwi, covered in tribal tatts. He recently moved out here to drive B-Double trucks for the local chicken farm. We talked for a while and as he didn’t know anyone in town, we ended up at the pub watching the rugby, me supporting the Aussie, him supporting the Welsh.

A great night was had, and maybe one beer too many and it turns out the day wasn’t a total loss – the Aussie beat the Welsh.

I've been a little busy

Sorry for the lack of content over the past few months..it's been a little hectic.

I hope to have updates out in the next day or so.

Thursty