MaximumBikes

Australia: Sunday Ride. Goodnight Scrub N.P.

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:11:49 +0000

Hot, hot, hot....

gotta be cooler moveing, im sitting doggo saveing and saveing.

This year ( 2012) is the last chance i get, to do so many things

2 rallys comeing up in march. klrr in the Flinders & ill do the Bendemere thingie on the way back.

couple of other local rides ( under 800 miles) to come after that,etc etc...

My old faithfull KLankeR has only 120 km on its new engine,

and i need to put some on her,to be sure she will take me the 3000 plus next month without any dramas.

I mean ! it cost me 106 dollars to do it up,
so it deserves a test ride eh!

So off to the Goodnight Scrub N.P. , Mt Perry and then home via GinGin.

Any way this

Soon turned to this

I seem to be looseing altitude,

And there's a bit a water at the Bottom of this valley,

Burnett River.

I've been catched by these slimey buggar's before , outriggers down , steady as she goes, no quick bursts of power,
which incerdently is markedly improved with the increased compression.

up and away, ive always loved the feel of a grunty motor cycle pulling up hills.

Love this country....

Tart, the road out of the Goodnight Scrub is in the background,

Poser..

on the road to Mt Perry now.

Takes some puttin up with.

This is my back yard, i live on the other side of those hill's.

Mt Perry , the town of mount Perry and the edge of the Goodnight N.P.in the background.

it got to much for me and i turned for home.
bit of slab 30 miles, then a quick hammer down this (cordalba forest) for 20 miles,
and im at my back door.

bit over 500 km on the clock,I'll do her first oil change now,
hasnt used a drop.
i hope the next 3000 km will be as tight.

Thanks.

The Putty Road

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:56:46 +0000

Woke up Saturday an lo and behold,a clear blue sky for a change,met da boys at a cafe and after a little discussion we decided to go to the new cafe on the Putty Road,lots of bikes were out as were cops but they were mainly in the urban areas and weren't a problem.

Got to the ga station and waited for Frankk to fill up,saw a bike or two.

Then off up the old highway,a popular spot for riders.

Crossed the Hawkesbury on the Mooney Mooney Bridge.

Then it was off to Kulnura for a bite to eat and a look at what was out riding..

That done it was back on the road.

Got through the windy bits and then on to wine country.

A very pretty part of the world.

My trip to the Dragon 2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:40:37 +0000

Ok so it was the dragon rally time again last weekend I had planned to go up for the Friday night and try and get into the rally on Saturday as I didn’t have a ticket but as luck would have it I managed to pick up a ticket from a guy in Cardiff on Thursday night.
Gary had planned a route up through Wales which was a great selection of back roads and old trails he was on his serrow so it was going to be a gentle ride
Chris the other guy we were going with was riding up on the road and meeting us there
We Set off at 08.00 Friday morning it was bloody cold with it doing its best to snow Merthyr Mountain was the usual skating rink and made our ride a little more interesting

Up over to Talybont wasn’t much better but it was fresh so no ice under it but you still had to keep your wits about you

Took the usual roads up to Rhayader stopped on the army ranges to check the bikes over for any movement in our loads everything looked fine then about a dozen small hay stacks started moving about the field alongside us it was soldiers in training bet the feckers were using us as targets we were there a few minutes before we noticed them and boy was it cold up there
Anyway first lane you lot seen it all before

We rode some fantastic roads to Barmouth where we picked up the first of the new to me trails cloud had been low all day so wasn’t expecting much of a view from the top

This was the start real wet and slippery on that grass

On the top was a narrow trail which was quite tricky to ride due to those ruts and not much room for errors as the photo doesn’t really show how steep and far down that drop to the left is

This was on the top and the start of the descent it’s a pity about the cloud cover the views up here are supposed to be spectacular

This was taken after half hour of negotiating a snaking trail of large slippery flat rocks laid in a bog that was bloody hard work to ride on my POS now out of the cloud but still a few miles to any surfaced road from here.

After cooling off on the road for a bit stopped for another photo at another gate come to think of it almost all the photos were taken when we stopped to open and close gates that’s Portmeirion in the distance

Past this lake on the way to the next lane not a ripple in the water

And this was the lane bloody brilliant had a bit of everything

There was one more lane after that one before we arrived at Beddgelert which we done in the dark so no photos
The B&B there was great real clean and friendly Chris had got there about an hour before us, it took him about 3 hours to get there and us 10 hours but I’m willing to bet we had the better ride up even though my arse was a wee bit sore
The night was just a quiet drink with not much of a selection for food and to bed I had a bit of a restless night and so did Gary and Chris for some reason they recon I snore I didn’t here nowt so I don’t believe them
Anyhow after a belly filling breakfast it was off to the rally checkpoint which was only about 10 mile away

After getting directions it was onto the rally and we got there early enough to get a good spot in the campsite

I decide to camp on the opposite side of the small field to Chris and Gary to save them from the snoring problem I apparently have
After pitching the tent it was off for another ride we headed for Porthmadog and then a few more twisty roads which was much more fun without the luggage on
The campsite is by the lake in the distance

And across the water here

Heres some photos of the bikes not many as me bloody hands were too cold to take the camera out

The night was cold, cold enough for me to have to hold my pint with my gloves on even though we were in a barn this year not a beer tent
The band was good but there was no music before or after them so I pissed off to bed a bit early midnight I think but had a night of getting up every hour to pee and then I found myself walking off leg cramps and after that the guy in the tent next to me snored like thunder when I eventually got to sleep I was awoken buy Gary starting his bike next to my tent filling it with exhaust fumes the bastard.
Bikes all loaded we waved Chris off as he was going home the quick way we retraced our route part of the way
This was the lane we rode in the dark

After that we took the lower route over to Barmouth there was no way I was dragging my bike up those slabs of rock this trail was nice open grass land wet and slippery but fairly flat until we got here

Gary failed to tell me this got really steep and very rocky it was a real struggle to get up there. at the top I had to rest I took my helmet off and steam started rising out of it the bike was baking and needed to cool down as well.
No problem from here though as it was mostly downhill, had a lot of these hairpins and then back to the road thank god

Last but one trail led us through this river which was knee deep with a rocky base. i took this while Gary put his dry socks on still had a few hours to go and was starting to get colder

Looking back to the river crossing and where we came from

This took us down towards Devils bridge and then onto Tregaron the last trail took us over to Lyn Brianne and was now dark so it was road all the way home from here, we got to the Garage in Llandovery just as they were closing which was lucky as I’d hit reserve a few miles back. the road home from here still had snow and Ice on it as it was a lot colder down here then up around Snowdonia. I got home around 8 after nine and a half hours riding only stopping for fuel and gates.
So to sum it up the Dragon this year was really all about the ride there and back I was cold, got very little sleep and got a real sore arse from riding the bike not from what you lot are thinking of, would I do it again you say hell yes why wouldn’t I

Trip to deliverance country

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:38:56 +0000

I called a friend from the riders club who knows the best places to ride and we headed for the hills, here is the bike before I set off

I would have liked to take some shots of the dam as we crossed it but there is no where to stop so we headed up to Dahlonega for lunch, a lot of the movie Deliverance was filmed up here and it has not changed much.

After catfish and beer we headed a bit further into the hills

A lot of sweeping curves to get me used to the bikes handling, with a Harley you have to ride the road not the bike, as soon as I settled into that the riding got quite a lot faster
The highest point we got to was Woody's gap in the Chattahoochee national forest

There was a lot of ear popping with the constant climbing and descending
Scenery is pretty amazing

We headed on to some beat up roads to check out an old but no longer used bike stop

Basically a campsite with some basic facilities, bar, etc.. it is a possibility for an investment at some point.

A closer look at the bath house

I think it is a picture of Ren, that boy gets around
We headed back to the bikes and set off back

There are a load of lakes up here for trout fishing, this is one of the run offs.

All told we did about 180 miles and were out for 7 hours.

Australia: Cracow QLD , 7 December 2011

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:34:02 +0000

Disclaimer: As per my usual depraved ways i'll borrow pic's, cross link em and sometimes i'll even crop em , if you need a big fuss made and want me to credit you let me know , if you want me to pay for them let me know and i'll delete them. Sometimes i use pics from other trips as i cover a lot of the same ground, as you do.
There will be quite a few commas missing and probably a few full stops also, i dont know where they go.
the spulling mistakes and the shit grammar are all my fault , and the boarding school i went to , well probably just the english teacher , but she sure was pretty.
some of it wont make sense to some of you and id have to agree with you.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Well after the ride home from Nindy Gully in early december we did the sunday night on the way home at the Cracow pub.
Home of Fred Brophy the last tent fight showman left in OZ.

Nearly always turns out half fight half comedy.

We sat there on a bloody hot sunday afternoon discusing the track we had just come across, Paul sugested that those of us that dont work should meet here again for a midweeker, taking in a few more of the tracks that the area had to offer.

So an ADV thread was posted and it was duly organised amid great shouts of what a good idea, love to come, see ya there, what sorta tyres should we use, can we get toilet paer there or should we pack a roll.

A meeting place was aranged and the Wet ( a season in Oz.) began that night.
Only 4 of us met up at Eidsvold for the ride across to Taroom.
( wet weather is a frieghtening event here.)

Just up the road from here aktualy...

First stop signpost. never go past em.

I love this country

nearly at Taroom, wunderfull roads.

heading back across to Crakie..

We visited a gourge with water and rocks and stuff.

Good lads....

I take pictures , they fuck off to the pub..

I get to the Pub eventually.

had a few beers and a feed and a few beers and a shower and a few beers..

Now bear in mind,
we camped here 8 days ago,
why wouldnt ya put yer tent up in the same place ,
course ya would.

Started to rain a bit, not a problem,
Smithy has a tent and a blanket the other 2 streatch out on the museum verander in swags .
I offer smithy me survival suit if he gets cold arnt i nice , he reakons he'll be ok.
finally the pub closes and the noisy ringers go home i start to drift off i love that stage when you know its just about all over and you will sleep like a log.....

Suddenly i get hit hard in the back,
" how can this happen laying in me tent" as safe as...

Then the whole fukin floor rises up around me .
chook chook chook hissing and writhing and heaving ...

What the fuck Smithy yells out,
his tent is doin it too .

I roll out the door this is no good , and stand up.
chook chook a fukin water sprinkler hits me head on half drenchin me ,
its starting to dawn on me fukin pop up automatic irrigation comes on at midnight specialy as it raining what a good idea.
fuck this i head for the road only to get caught in the cross fire of 2 more of the fukin pop up bastards.
Im soaked , 1 am its pretty cold ,
but you dont actually notice the wind untill your wet cold flesh is bared to it.

Im awake now and have draged me tent into the parking lot,
for what good it did me everything is wetter indside than out.
You ok smithy, yep me tents water proof im stayin here .

This is not the first night ive slept in me dririder snow suit using a soaked sleeping bag as a matress.
I join the lads on the verander,
Wham ..... the security lights come on...
blinded,
What the fuck,
Their that bright i reakoned i could have cooked some toast on em.
Anyway enough wingeing.

Next day, We headed home , Bloody good mid weeker thanks Paul.

bit of frakin goin on out here ...

Hit a roo on the way home,
well maybe that's a bit over dramatic.
Nearly ran over a roo on the way home but only mangaed to get his tail under the wheels ,
makes you apreciate what yer heart does for you either way though.

The wet really had started, it went on to rain for weeks.
just that 2 days alone we got over 3 inches.

I love that road...

Thanks...

Finally got out on the bike.

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:36:58 +0000

So Sunday was the first dry day since New Year and i got to go for a little ride down the usual roads to Kiama,took a few shots on the way.

Pulled out the camera at the Audley weir at the start of the road through the Nasho (Royal National Park)

Looking across the weir,it was closed all week due to flooding.

The road through the park,didn't take many shots here as it was sodden in places with anything up to 50 meters of road under running water,usually just around a 45k bend,it was a slow ride.

Got to Bald Nob at the other end to find a few bikes about and even one interesting 1964 Holden,noot sure what he had in it but that thing made some amazing noises.

Even saw a Victory,this thing was huge.

Then I heard an old Brit single approaching,thought that he wasn't going to stop but luckily he did.

1971 Velocette Thruxton anyone,it had just been restored by the owner and he did a very good job.

There was something for everyone.

Something for the lads.

Land barge.

Only an extra $5000 for the tri-colour paint.

Then it was off to Kiama for a look around,seeing what your weather looks like I thought these shots might brighten up your day.

snow again

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:12:32 +0000

Not a real ride report just a little spin up on eglwys to take some photos of the snow i was well overdressed far to hot
I was greeted by this sign

Obviously some numpties took no notice of the sign wait a minute neither did i

this bend was a sheet of ice the SUV driver must have got up onto it then slipped back out of control

Up on top had a thin layer of snow on compacted ice not very nice to ride on so i rode the grass verge plenty of grip there

no as much snow about as i thought bloody icy though

there was some places i could play

Trailer report

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:21:02 +0000

Made plans to get the trailer queen out of the shed and over to Bob's. In the "olden" days before a full restoration, I'd have just ridden over, salt on the roads and all. Nope, not after cleaning, having things replaced, painted and/or powdercoated. Screw that.

Trickle charge off, 1 up seat put on for vanity and so I could duck walk this bitch. Tried starting it for shits and giggles. Nope, not happening.

Out in the driveway waiting for curb side pickup.

I was admiring the lines of the bike, and the painter's handiwork on the tank and I realized that this is the light that never changes for 1 bike if you're trying to go left.

Bob's got some sort of magic happening or something, cuz it changed for him.

Usually I'd be annoying the masses as I announced my approach to Bob's.

Remember class, steering a trailer in reverse you need to use opposite thinking.

What a journey! Time to shuffle a couple bikes and park this pig inside.

This is what it would have looked like had I ridden over.

::WARNING:: The following image may not be safe for Pete

Now to find some time to put new parts in.

For Bob

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:18:21 +0000

I copied this from South Wales TRF forum it was i ride i was on last sunday had good weather and a good bunch to ride with
Bob you will most probably reconise the route and i would like to say that i rode the hour and half each way to the meeting point and back no bike in the van for me
It was Jase the run leader who typed this

Arrived at Touratech nice and early only to be met with quite a few already there ( i was awoken quite early with a text message from Christian asking if i had spare gloves,it was 5:30, i only live 2mins away and was hoping to get up at 7:30), Nick came and opened up the shop just for us so we could have a nice warm brew to set us up for the day. Quick briefing and we were off . Well except for a few last minute fixings.
As we got to the river crossing and were just about to set off , i could a bike behind us , it was Nick on the behemoth a Yamaha 1200 the guy is a nut 8) (but being an Ex daker finisher on 2 occasions we can let him off)
Nothing major to report en route as everything was going fine right up until just before breakfast stop i had a puncture, Mark set off and took most of the guys down to sort out some food and a few stayed behind to help sort out my dilema , no need really as we have the king of tyres with us out Mr Green of Paul green tyres Glynneath ,quick as a flash the wheel was off and a new tube in, off we went to catch up with the others and have some nosh.
After we were all fed and watered it was time to get warm again and motel hill was on the list Fair play to those who wanted a go and made it , Nick even tried it on the 1200 but sad to say most did'nt make it and turned around.
Onto the Roman road where the puddles were still frozen and me being in front acting like an icebreaker, Peter then decided that were all going to well and decided to have a break by drowning his Husky 630 in a deep puddle , all sorted and away to go again. Few more lanes including "The view point" " Lampkin lane" and "50 gates" and as time was getting on we headed for home.
A cracking day out which i hope everyone enjoyed and hopefully get another sorted soon .
Here are some pics i took

Bit of maintenance

Lampkin lane

Australia: Annual KLRR 12/6/2011: Nockundra. Far Western Qld.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:32:51 +0000

Sorry bit late with this one , im up to date now.

Disclaimer: As per my usual depraved ways i'll borrow pic's, cross link em and sometimes i'll even crop em , if you need a big fuss made and want me to credit you let me know , if you want me to pay for them let me know and i'll delete them. Sometimes i use pics from other trips as i cover a lot of the same ground, as you do.
There will be quite a few commas missing and probably a few full stops also, i dont know where they go.
the spulling mistakes and the shit grammar are all my fault , and the boarding school i went to , well probably just the english teacher , but she sure was pretty.
some of it wont make sense to some of you and id have to agree with you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Well since i chewed up a perfectly good chain and set of sproket's on the run out to Springsure and back,
it's been a battle to save up the required cash and replace a few parts ...
So i can head down this road..

And attend the annual KLR Rally , here at the Noccundra Pub.

all sorts of cheap **** , like minded dero's like me will attend.
its going to be an oil fest.

Something's wrong with my refinery ,
its not getting all the black out,
gonna have to try either more tissues or nick some paper towel's from the kitchen

While waiting for the reserves to build back up from $ 8.00,
i pulled the top off the engine..

Everything checked out good.. no movement in the slug at the top or the bottom and can still see the hone marks,
damn, cant be ring's useing all this oil.

so i knock the valves out useing a sash clamp and a butchered plug spanner as the spring compressor,
but they look good and well within tolerance, nissan seals fit but me mate had to turn up a drift to "press" em on with.
so i lap the valves and put it back together with new stem seals.
( im hopeing one of those, probably an inlet is the culprit).

took it for a run for 60 miles didnt use a drop ,
sold a few records on ebay im back up to $ 300 in the bank,
$ 90 in my pocket.
can i do 1800 miles on that much, just i reakon.

This is the plan ....

this is the reassembled steed...

Looks like we are going to test the theory that 606's wear very slowly towoards the end.
This one has 8500 miles on it already so it will be interesting. im a slow rider and its spent it's life at 18/ 22 lps.

If it doesnt get me home i wont be buying another one , purely on the noise they make.
they are a good tire in all conditions especially on the tar,
which is usually where a knobbie will spit you off.
But howl Jeez....

speedo reading for the longest rider contest, don't think i've a chance though.

Check the weather..

No worries,

And im off at sparrows in the morning. I'll try to make Eulo at least,
though i want to have a look at some land at Bollen.( more on that later.)

Well the weathers consistent, at least.

Well back to the trip, sorry its taken me so long to finish it, truth is i couldnt be ****ed sittin down and writting it or collecting all the pics , cropping and compressing them. I heard people say im sick of it and i dont do Ride Reports any more! well now i understand...
they are a pain in the **** if you leave em too long ...........

Anyhoo i was just setting off from memory in the first post, after raveing on a lot of **** about recyled oil and klr's being ready to roll....

yarve all seen the map, here's the roads
Im headin west

Looks cold eh !

I've just come from there ....

needed fuel, the fukin skippy at the end of the verander at the westmar pub was frozen, he was just sitting there looking at the fadeing sun with a miserable look in his eyes...

Got some coffee there, fueled up.
engine took 300 ml of oil , im stoked...
then pushed off for more of this exciting motorbike rideing.

At least i know that tomorrow the road will get narrower , might help me concertrate .
made it to Bollen just on dark, the pub had a fire , couple of beers found out where the free camping was.
Discovered a corned beef sanger in me bag, had that for tea, after i set me tent up.
The grey nomads just up the creek had a roaring fire going so i wandered up..
so friendly, have you had tea, like a beer etc etc..
turned out they lived 3 houses down from and aunt of mine who lived in their town.
Staggered back to the tent 3 hours later skunked as..
lucky i decided to do the fly tarp over the bike and tent.
-4 that night.
slept with me socks on and then some..

got down to the garage and saw this ..

still frozen at 9 the next morning..

I pushed on ....

I'd come from...

Cold jeezzz... battled on through thargaminda, had a nice burger there.

Made it to Nockie friday just as the sun was setting , no one there but me ...........

Had a coupl of beers and went over to the creek to set up me tent etc, found one other participant there so we set about food and drinks but it wasnt long before a few more turned up in the dark, brave buggars.

The next day , full crew ...

some people just wont ride the distance...

Sat arvo

and night was epic ,

old mate 3,200 for the Longest Distance Award..

Then pretty much turned around rode for 2 days, No drama, the 606 went flat on me 70 miles from home just on dark, put the spare case on and threw it in the bin .
wet, cold, mice chewed my tent up, motors using oil again.
2,570 Km's.
and i was home ....

Australia: Pooncarie 27th/30th October 2011 ... Mungo National Park.

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:41:45 +0000

Bit late sorry , this is me last R.R. for 2011

Top Hut Rally it's an Annual ADV gathering, ya get a pretty sticker.!

Thursday 27th Toowoombah/Boomi to Brewarina ( 750 km) http://g.co/maps/c72e7

friday Brewarina to Poon. ( 700 km ) http://g.co/maps/9svuv
What could go wrong.

This was my last attempt to get there 2 years ago, but the gearbox fell to bits, just out of Texas,

i reakon the KLankeR will get me there and back this time.
___________________________________________________________________________

Left Cordalba on wednsday and wandered across via the same old boreing road through Ban Ban

to toowoomba .
Visited me mum in the hospital , she was pretty bloody crook and told me she reakoned she was a gonner.
reacuring pneomonia and being 91 wasnt a healthy mix.
Told her i was heading for Mungo down near Mildura N.P. and would be back in a week,
she said thats nice, if im still here, ill see you then.

The weather was building out west big time, not a good sign when your heading for gravel and black soil roads for the next few days. spell mud backwards , see.

Just made it to Goondiwindi and hid in the gas station till a storm with hail cleared,
Then i headed for Boomi , bugger there's more .

got a bit wet no more hail luckily.
all's well that end's well.
And Barb had rung ahead and booked me a room, good girl.

Boomi Pub could do with some reno's but the company ,tucker and beer...
not to mention the girls running the joint made up for it.

Went down through Mungindi, Collarenebri, Walget,

Brewarrina , Bourke.

Honestly there's just nothin out here.

Ran into Chris at Bourke,

had a bit of a yarn, he was skeered
of the rain and gettin stuck on the louth tilpa road and was going to head south on the slab .
not me baby, gettin stuckinapub is the least of my worries.

Loth Pub for a late lunch and coffee ...
But a Beer or 7 was pretty tempting.

then down to Tilpa for the night . free camping, settled in with the ABC landline crew for dinner and a few red's.

Friday morning got up early and had to face this,

Just awfull it was, hammering along with the sun comeing up on my left, perfect ,
then the back tyre decided to go down while i was haveing the the most fun i've had for months.
16 km from Wilcannia. bugger.
fixed that with a new tube, re taped the spoke heads , bloody desert no logs or rocks to put the KLankKer up on so I laid her on her side to do it , couldnt get at the 12 volt outlet for the compressor so stood her back up then pumped up the tyre , Them 606's wont roll off the rim flat and definetly wont pop back on with a 18 dollar 12v compessor . Ar well i was going to call in and see Brian any way and he has the RACQ and tyre shop in Willy.
Bit of soap 70 pound from a 3 phase truck capable commpressor and pop, no more humpa humpa from behind.
Had a bit of a yarn , did a quick lap of Willcannia ( Jeeze scary place.) fueled up had me ears bashed untill i convinced the fuel depot owner i wasnt with the ( *** Rally Event , and that i happily closed gate's.) then headed off for the last leg to Menindee then to poon for the sat night festivities.

Rain threathening . Right. fair bit of this ...

Then some more of this .

and we were there there, never ceases to amaze me that you can ride 1200 km and see no one. then 40 k's out of where you are heading for and they are every where .....

bit of rain that night , Doonie had a big tent, good blokes, few beers ,then fogo and i hit the Makers Mark( Thanks Shawn ) Then a bottle of Stones reared its traditional head and all was lost from memory from then on in,
till the sun returned.

The next day, Sat was the big ADV out at top hut, I headed south to balranald then turned north again to head home via
Ivanhoe..

Camped somewhere near Cobar.

Early start again to head across via Byrock.

then back on the tar to Brewarrina,

Cant beleive some of these names, I came through a settlement ( mission) called " Gongolgon ".
to much waveing and stick chucking,
was still grinning bout that when i crossed the Bogan River and spotted this.
jeez had to wheel her back and get a photo, im a tourist after all.

Bree , Walget, Colly, Moree, was a 250 km slab back up through northern N.S.W. to Warrialda, where i would turn north once again and be nearly back in Qld.
Pretty uneventfull except i had been watching the clouds stacking up on the Range to the East of me,
the direcetion i was heading for.

These ones were 180 miles away so nothing to laugh at.

Always seem's better when you get closer.

Started talking to Weather girl at this stage, as the mobile reception had started to get more reliable.
lotta storm cells west of toowoomba she says, That's where i was heading for, to see if mum was still kickin on the way through.

I got through Texas and started the run for the ingelwood road then across to Leyburn,
it was getting dark, i could see the next cell that was comeing through and i reakoned i could just slip between them and make Toowoombah ( 65 miles) by just after dark.

Started to rain and I realised i was rideing into the back of one, so i slowed down, then waited a bit.
Then turned for Leyburn 8 miles to go i reakoned i could get there easy enough and wait in the rotundra in the park,
as the next cell came over me from the west.

Well the history of men and women trying to predict the weather and the behaviour of storm cells isnt good and our calculations wont be going to help to pick up the accuracy record .

I was 2 miles short when it went completly dark and then it started to get cold i was still rideing .
( stupidly, i still thought i could make the rotundra a mile away.)
The cell hit me and the rain in the headlights was horizontal straight at me , couldnt even keep going in first gear, visibility was 20 foot so i got off the road near a council depot and just stood ankle deep in the rain . The lightning was all around me and i assumed id be electrocuted through the water .

These pics are from that storm that night from the local weatherzone boys. they would have had to have been within 5 miles from me.
As it came towards me it looked like this.

And while i stood in it like an idiot, it was pretty much exactly like this.

Worst storm ive ever been in, it went on to do a lot of damage later that night.
while i stood there waiting for the big tingle , the old kwaker just ideled away never missing a beat.
anyhoo i managed to crawl into toowoombah 3 hours later after 3 stints in three different shelters ,
went and camped at my sister's place ,
shower, feed, coma.

Next morning i wandered into the hospital where me mum was,
and she's sitting up feeding herself breakfast , I knew you would come to-day she said .
did you know i was nearly a gonner last week ,
yes i said i was here .
O, she says did you know im a 100 years old ,
no your not, i say, your only 91 .
O well , she squeeks, thats still pretty old eh !.
litle did i know that 6 weeks later she would be gone.

Easy run home that day .
same old same old.

Nearly home.

Lunch at Biggendon

and that's it, home 3970 k's, 7 ltrs of oil, many beers .. many stones ..

go again tomorrow ,
kn oath...

Special prize,

naw... we all got one.

And seeing as im writeing this on New Years Eve here ...

Have a

Looking back it has to be one the best year's i had,
thank you all for the diversity you all bring to this wunderfull world of motorcycle travelling,
how ever it gets your ya ya's going..

Australia: 29th annual TTT. 27th august 2011

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:18:50 +0000

Disclaimer: As per my usual depraved ways ill borrow pic's, cross link em and sometimes i'll even crop em , if you need a big fuss made and want me to credit you let me know , if you want me to pay for them let me know and ill delete them. Sometimes i use pics from other trips as i cover a lot of the same ground, as you do.There will be quite a few commas missing and probably a few full stops also, i dont know where the go. the spulling mistakes and the shit grammar are all my fault , and the boarding school i went , well probably just the english teacher , but she sure was pretty. some of it wont make sense to some of you and id have to agree with you.

3500 km, not much dirt, should be back in 9 days, probably use 9 litres of oil.
A map.

Left home ( Childers) early and cruised on up to Ban Ban heading for the annual TTT Event.

I wasnt going to go to the TTT as there was a really good ride on just up the road.
That was a good excuse to save some money , but it got cancelled due to the possibility it may rain ,,,,
Well fuck it i thought, I'll go to the TTT instead.

I'll visit me old mum on the way down and also on the way back. 2 visits in a week may just kill her as she's 91 and battleing, little did i know what was going to happen in a month.
Anyhoo did that and the rain did come in hard, now i dont mind rain ( in the summer time) but i was sooo cold and miserable and i was just a short detour to my mates place in cabulture, that i cruised in there and had a visit, just in time as they were off to contest the southern historic sidecar championships 5 weeks in tasmania and victoria raceing every weekend ...

How did they go...

Pretty well apparently places and wins in every round no dnf's that's pretty goood for a Harley.

He can build an engine.

Well left next morning to brave the traffic on the freeway through brisbane light rain , knobies and peak hour traffic what could go wrong eh !.
Nuthing , well i did have a bit of a think as i went over the Gateway Toll Bridge and saw the sighn's all over the place for etags etc when i came to pay me toll the booths had been ripped out , bout time i reakon people been throwing money at em for as long as i can remember surely the bloody things paid for .....
Got to lismore mid arvo had a couple of days with Matt & Tarra and family.

Had time to catch up with the other 2 also but only stood still long enough for a picture

there could be a "do something dumb for the camera" gene loose in our DNA i thinks.

Time to leave and its bucketing down , i dont feel so good , i hate the cold ...
so im headin west it starts to clear and finally warm up about 11.00 am,
as i come in to tenterfield now there's a quandry, hot in tenterfield.

I havent been down the New England for a long time and had forgotton how boreing it is and straight and flat even though im following the spine of the Great Dividing Range. Here's some pics for the next 300 miles.

Guyra

Tamworth

Nundle

Im heading for Sandy Hollow near Musselbrook ,
Book into the camper ground in the dark and get set up,
Then head across the road to the pub good tucker,
good beers,
good band,
good folks to talk to.
Typical.

Next morning i awake to the rattle of a fifty mile long coal train which apparently i've paid good money to sleep next to its track.

Are well... early start , fuel up , some breakfast, hmm maybe later.
head off on the bylong road across towards rylstone . kandos and eventually Bathurst.

This is around Murrumbo.

Fill up at bathurst trying to work out how to get there with just enough to get in and then back out to Oberon.
Thrashers road demands no eksessive weight and concerntration,

and a certain amount of horse power to get up the last 3 hills ,
and if it rains knobbies .

Bala, last year ...

Gettin close i can see the general area in the distance.

Wombyan Caves Rd , Rally site.

45 k's of good track in.

All the help you would ever need.

Half way in stop for a beer helps to get up heartbreack hill....

My first real bus ride

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:57:03 +0000

Managed to get some time to try out the new bus today only rode it home and was all motorway so this will be the first ride with different road surfaces and a few bends thrown in.
The first thing I notice about the bus apart from its size is how wide the seat is compared to all my other bikes this truly is an armchair and like a armchair damn comfy
I set off up the Cynon valley and through Penderyn to pick up the Brecon road and then headed to Painscastle where the roads get interesting

The bike is soooo smooth compared to my Africa Twin and Dominator and so effortless to ride it is a heavy bike but I didn’t notice its weight as I glide through the welsh countryside

Took a left at Painscastle which is a mountain road to hundred house this will test the bike single track with lots of muck from tractors just how I like it hang on I’m not on the Dommi

Well the bike was as happy on that as on the main roads not as much fun as on the Dommi but no problem at all
Back onto A roads took the 481 to the A44 and headed to crossgates no need for fuel as the bikes got a good range about 200 mile
The 481 is a fantastic stretch of road had my foot down on the AT a couple of times last time I went out with Dawn and Alan but not today I’m still finding my feet on the bus

After crossgates it was back to Builth and home via upper chapel I think the upper chapel road is going to become my favourite again

My ride ended here

not far from home ran out of fecking fuel had to wait for the wife to rescue me bloody reserve don’t work drained the tank dry in the on position this is the second time she’s rescued me out of fuel
So to sum the bike up its so easy to ride if your just out for a cruse stick it in top above 30mph and forget all the other gears it will pull the titanic from the bottom of the ocean if your out for a blast rev it through the gears and it will shift and it is so comfy I love it then i did love the one i had in 95 got a few cosmetic things to sort out (dropped it trying to get it in my front garden ) cant wait for next summer

F650GS in Iceland: Icebergs and Volcanoes, Oh My!

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:01:03 +0000

A couple of months ago, my wife and I rented a BMW F650GS and a Triumph Tiger 800 and spent two weeks riding around Iceland. Here are a couple of entries from our photojournal. More pictures and writeups at: http://www.RideDOT.com/iceland

==========================================

Tue Aug 23 2011: Ice? In Iceland?!?

Hofn (A) to Glacier Lagoon ( to Vik ©

We only covered about 600 kms the last couple of days, from Seydisfjordur, through Hofn then onto Vik. Most of it in the rain. Note the Vatnajokull glacier that our route passes by. We spent most of today riding up to a few of the tendrils that reach the road and the water.

This is the first time I've ever tried Gore-Tex riding pants - definitely not as good as a dedicated rainsuit. When you sit on wet Gore-Tex, the pressure squeezes all the water through the fabric onto your skin. 10 hours of soaking butt in 5C rain.

In the background you can see one of the tendrils running off Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Iceland. If Vatnajokull is the size of a hand, the visible part from the ground is only about the size of a fingernail.

Glacier Lagoon

We stopped to view quite a spectacular sight at Jökulsárlón aka "Glacier Lagoon". This part of the Vatnajokull glacier gets pushed out into a lagoon where pieces of ice regularly break off and create icebergs. These pieces are huge, only 10% is visible, the rest is underwater. They slowly melt and drift out of the harbour. We saw a piece break off while watching in awe.

You can see some dark banding on some of the icebergs. Normally they are pure white, but the big eruption last year threw ash all over the glacier, giving the icebergs here a marbled effect. Beautiful!

Close-up of an iceberg at Glacier Lagoon

The largest icebergs must have been well over 60 feet high, and that's only the part that's above water!

Looking over Glacier Lagoon. Two James Bond movies have been filmed here, as well as Tomb Raider and Batman Begins.

Just like at Timmies: Posin' with an Ice Cap.

We spent such a long time here, just staring in wonder at these mini-icebergs!

On our way up to yet another one of the glaciers that runs off Vatnajokull. There are tons of them all along the south shore of Iceland. You can see another one off to the left.

Neda is probably looking for more flowers to take pictures of

Mini Glacier Lagoon

After hiking around we find a secluded mini glacier lagoon all to ourselves. Great view of Vatnajokull up ahead. The leading edge of the glacier (terminus) has a very "Fortress of Solitude" look to it.

Close-up of the glacier. Just to give you an idea of how gigantic it is, those dots in the middle of the picture are ice climbers

A taste of Iceland...

Riding away from our own private glacier lagoon

Mossy terrain on the ride to Vik

==========================================

This blog and more are continued at http://www.RideDOT.com/iceland

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Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:35:11 +0000

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Australia: Nindigully 12 Nov 2011

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 03:32:44 +0000

Sorry it's been awhile i went through a mid life crisis , she's seems better now.

Im getting pretty sick of doing Ride reports as ive lost the excitment of writeing i think it may come back, but if it doesnt so be it, writeing about the first 20 years of my life in the blog i started left me pretty empty for a while, ill get back to it soon.
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyhoo ive been on 3 decent rides since my last written ride report..

This is the last one .
Mick from the coast wanted to go out to Nindigully pub for a beer or 12 , fair enough i reakoned .
Its roughly 3000 km and a lot of gravel and dirt but as fast as we find these good back roads they come along and seal a bit more.

Probably going to be just a lot of picktures with minimal writeing,
there will be a few pics of spots from the last ride i took as i covered a lot of the same ground,
also some pics will be from others ive raided who were on that ride.

Well here's a map.

Left on Wed and headed south on the way to visit me old mum in the nurseing home in toowoombah

I am begining to really like the South Burnett area.

Same old same old.

quick visit check the fuel top up the oil...

Settlers way east of Warwick just after evading Bernie broken down on the side of the road

Comeing into the Kyogle area.

Nother one

Arty Crop ?

Stayed in Lismore that night and visited with my Daughters.

Then Friday off to Texas via Rocky River road ( turn left at drake )

it was over all to soon

Tenterfield saddlier....

Dam skippy's ..

Nearly at texas.

finally

Then next day Kato and i rode to nindi via the Colly/Barwon crossing, we called in and met the new owners to the farm i grew up on .

I was hopeing to get permission to ride the 8 miles through it and save us 20 miles of back tracking and visit an old dam built by the chinese with wheel barrows,
But Alas the new owner wasnt keen on the look of us and wouldnt let me onto the land i grew up on,
need a treaty there i reakon...

Kato comeing down the bank into the crossing ..

Magic place,

well for me it is i grew up on the banks here chaseing water rats and pullin fish and craybobs from traps ..

then on to Mungindi on the western side of the Barwon.

fueled up and headed for nindi via daymar....

Sat night at nindi was good i didnt take any pics but heres a few that were floating around.

Up and at em next morning ,

i was low on oil so i left for St George with a couple of other KLR riders ,
Then started heading north on my own with no idea really just wanted to get to Cracow pub that afternoon.

It was lookin good.

Then these buggars turned up,

had a bit of a yarn , made sure they were right for oil.
then headed off down this...

Ran into Paul and offagain and Ed and decided to tag along with them, this entailed going into Surat for fuel (pre arranged)
yeah right the card reader had broken down since the phone call and the hole town was shut, i reakoned i could make Roma
so i set off to fuel up then head back with a can and meet them comeing north, Kato caught me up and said they were going to open now so back i go get some juice and then we all head for Taroom,
its gettin quite hot by now.

We arrive there on reserve and the power promply goes out as soon as we arrive.
40 mins till it comes back on.

and away we go again.

Taroom to Cracow has got to be the best road to finish a brilliant weekend it has everything and a pub at the end.
a few pics from anja's album..

Made it into Cracow...

We had a few drinks

and went our seperate ways the next morning , uneventfull 2 hours as i rode across through gaynder then up through paradise dam ..

then home through the Cordalba Forest till i picked up my favorite cane train track track and followed it home.

Thanks....

Once upon a time, in the Wild Wild West...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:30:42 +0000

....that’s how it always starts, eh?
And 3 magic September-weeks of riding the Western-US should make a good story…and bloody hell, they do!!

Bikes: DR650/ KLR650 / DRZ400

Planning: Not much, just a rough outline with a few highlights dotted across the map. Good bikes, fresh rubber and a full tank….then GO!!

Accommodation: nothing booked, usually a quick snoop of the place we finished up at.

Gear/ Equipment: soft luggage which was also used as airline-luggage, some basic spares and usual goodies, slightly expanded-on factory tool-kits, clothes for 6 days and bike-gear old and/ or crappy enough to shove in the bin before leaving for home.
Rather drag home some new, shiny stuff found during the trip.

GPS/Electronics: Jimbo had a GPS along but 95% was run via maps and some dead-reckoning.
16gig cards (to save taking spares) and a set of spare batts+charger for the cameras, one mobile phone only for emergencies (most of the time we were out of range anyway).
No netbooks/laptops/ipads, usb chargers or any of the other digital junk.

6500k’s, 17 days solid, about 2000k’s dirt, 4600pics…of which you’ll find the best 800 over here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3787

Just a few, quick appetizers here

Central-Oregon

[/

Wales 1 Ingurlund 0

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:47:07 +0000

As the weather forecast was SUPPOSED to be good, I headed north to visit somewhere, in Wales, for the first time.

The rain was bucketing down when I got the bike out but slowed down to a drizzle by the time I'd filled up with fuel and headed north. The spray from the traffic was a pain as the wind didn't seem to clear it off my visor, maybe I need to polish it a bit more

Anyway the usual run over Llangynnidr was abandoned as it was thick fog on the A470 and I thought it might be better further west so I took the Storey Arms road and then over Upper Chapel to Builth.

Cleared up a bit but the odd shower and wet roads with slippery leaves under the trees - not great.

Local Leisure Center.

I then took the Hundred House road and had breakfast at Crossgates, the only bike there until three arrived as I was leaving. I then doubled back and went up towards Knighton, the Welsh Marches.

Reached my destination.

Not much but there was a sign down the road mentioning a battle.

Went here

There was a notice outside.

Owain Glyndwr's army took on a far bigger Ingurlisch army and beat the hell out of them.

The church has recently been renovated.

Can you imagine the Ingurlisch attacking from the valley floor up the slope to the left?

Up here!!

They got flanked after being subjected to archery as they climbed the slope and that was that

Right enough culture. I carried on up towards Newtown. Nice road.

Still raining off and on so I headed south and stopped for a cuppa and Welsh Cakes here.

The rain got worse so Beulah for fuel then Upper Chapel again and A470 home. Just over 220 ish miles. Great autumn colours and lovely between showers but the roads were covered in mud and leaves.

Nice to be out though despite the weather but what the hell!

La Foret D'Othe

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:03:07 +0000

isn't actually a forest at all except in the same sense as the new forest in the uk. To the south of me here is the Morvan natural parc, lots of small dairy farms & tight twisties for biking, reminds me a bit of the lake district. To the east lies Chablis & the northern part of the Burgundy area of Vinyards with loads of trails through the gently rolling hills. To the west lies the Puisay, a rolling plateau with nothing there & e few, narrow poorly maintained roads of little interest except as a shortcut to the Loire valley. To the North (& North east) lies the "Foret D'Othe" a vast expanse of open farmland, mostly arable with never ending series' of rolling hills lifting you to the roof of Burgundy & then sweeping you down through some picturesque forgotten hamlet before again rising through a series of sweeping curves to the summit of the next hill & so on seemingly forever. What's more, this area, for some unknown reason has some billiard smooth roads...

last week end I got out & rode some of my favorite roads in the area, this is what i'm on about

the roof of Burgundy (we're not far from the North sea / Atlantic / med watershed here)

Down a series of bends into the village, past the old water mill & up the other side, loook to the distance to see what's coming up...

mmmmmmm......

I also got into some dirt tracks trying to find out what was burning

as per usual it was just some farmer stubble burning

in full compliance with the latest EU sefety & pollution regs of course...

VMX @ Woodland

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:32:34 +0000

Plans changed.....as they sometimes do......My lad spent the day with his GF .....so I went by myself.

Weather was just right for Racing......a little drizzle to wet everything down, but otherwise just overcast & not too cold.

Plenty of these around.....

Devils Hollow

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:44:49 +0000

Putting miles behind the roaring duet of KLRs, the horizon showed promise with every vista. Headed in a direction we've headed many times before, west , the terrain familiar but with interesting details as we explored new areas of old haunts.

The infamous Baker Hotel. Known for so many things; from the who's who of owners, the healing mineral waters from the spring the hotel is built on to the famous people who use to frequent the hotel. This was one of the outlaw lovers Bonnie and Clyde favorite spots to kill time. The hotel, now abandon, is reported to be haunted.

After some additional miles on the slab, we turned off at a likely looking spot, Devils hollow. I don't know how it came to be called this but it seemed heavenly to me. Fire had recently scorched the area but the green had more than taken it back. Some areas of burned trees still remained though.

As pointed out in some of my other RR, this area is dotted with old abandon airport/heliports. It also has its share of hard scrabble houses. All the bases were shut down just after the Vietfuckinam war.

Having ridden down the long dusty road, past numerous cattle guards, we finally came to a place where all the gates were locked. Road end... Not a bad place I might add.

Another short ride report

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:47:12 +0000

It was a warm and sunny day, but. I woke up seeing flashes and floaters, not our friend or anything to do with Bruce, but in my right eye. At half time I phoned the optician who said that it needed to be seen and straight away so I was three quarters of an hour late meeting up. Sorry folks. Anyway Dawn had managed to get Dean to come along and Fred had contacted me the night before, so it was off up over Llangynnidr Moor as usual for the photo and then past Llangorse and Hundred House up to Cross Gates where we met Yan.

The usual picture. Used my phone because I was stessed out and forgot the camera.

Dean's rear tyre was just about down to the canvas so he headed home leaving the four of us to head over through Rhaeader past Elan Valley, Cwmystwyth to Aberystwyth. Far too many cars! Dawn left us to head back past the reservoirs so that she could be back in time for her birthday treat.

Met a few people in Aber then it was up to Machynlleth where Yan left us, and over Dylife to Llanidloes. Then it was over the top to Rhaeader so that I could put my demons to rest.

That is a bloody big hole in the hedge! I was also surprised how far down it was in the field to where I eventually landed, quite a steep slope.

From Rhaeader it was back via Beulah and Upper Chappel and the A470 home.

Great day out with friends but a shame that I forgot the camera and that the phone battery was nearly dead. Time for a replacement.

Over 80ºF in OCtober?

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:16:06 +0000

We missed the last hillclimb of the season, but the ride to get there is pretty sweet. Original plan was to head through CT and go up into MA and possibly meet up with Brother Scum. Well, he was tied up with an Octooberfest but suggested a few different roads. We ended up taking a couple and stayed in CT so the helmetless boys (and girl) could remain so. There were 4 of us (Bob, Frank, Bob's neighbor Neil, and myself) leaving to meet Bob's sister (Ann) about a mile from her house in CT.

I didn't get any pics, but I pulled some stills from on the move vids off the Flip.

Road near my house

Farm nearing the junction of 171 and 169.

Across the street from the farm.

I missed some of the gorgeous houses on 169, and the twisty woods of 197 (first time on the road plus I need to actually stop and use a camera). Saw a Harley touring rig in the reverse color scheme as the Scout. Bastards.

Perspective is lost on this uphill in the pic. In fact, as you're heading towards the uphill from further back, it looked like it was straight up.

Again on this down hill headed into Stafford Springs.

Rather than heading north into MA we went south to look for a place to stop. Found a place called the American Eagle, little biker bar hole in the wall. After ordering burgers we realized they did a $2 roast beef, mashed potato, veggie dinner.

Pennsylvania Burger was pretty good for a biker bar burger.

Poor bartender was overwhelmed as the bikers kept coming in after us. Seems they were understaffed for such a ridiculously nice day. THEN someone came in and ordered 20 dinners. Owner was on vacation and the manager she called hung up on her. A customer actually offered to help tend bar.

"Need help?
"You a bartender?"
"Yes"
"Get back here."
"Ok, I'll mix, you ring."

Things settled down after about a half hour of insanity, but people kept trickling in.

Some bikes in the lot.

Way home we were on a major route and I saw one of the lighter traveled numbered routes. "LEFT!" up 198 to double back on 171 to where it met up with 169.

From there we back tracked home on minor routes. 175mi or so covered. Starter didn't act up at all on the ride.

Fall ride to an old fall...Sunday 9/10/11

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:55:07 +0000

beautiful Thanksgiving weekend 'round here...

they say it was 27C around 3pm in Haliburton but i think that's a bit high

winter gloves & down vest but no long-johns & winter socks riding to breakfast at 8am

vest off & summer gloves on waiting for friends in Port Perry around 9.15am

liner out of jacket & vents open by 10.45am in Ennismore waiting for 2 more friends

vents zipped up at sunset...had to stop to remove sunglasses anyway

then dropped down the big lake where it's always warmer this time of year to get home

pretty near perfect...it doesn't get any better this time of year

here's a fairly accurate MAP but my odometer says around 550km

my fellow reprobates at the Haliburton scenic lookout

the bikes

some scenic pics

north of Haliburton the roads were surprisingly wet in the shade for after 1pm in the afternoon...must have been a very heavy dew

the 40 year old crash site

4 decades ago that corner was about 10 feet higher & there was an open swamp right of the sign

my mate (with a mate on the back) launched his BSA off the 15 foot cliff into the swamp

the bike hit a rock hard in the swamp but he's still on it but feeling a little disoriented

& the bikes still running underwater & he can't locate the ignition key

so he rips off the plug wires...UNDERWATER!!!...LOL

THAT WOKE HIM UP!!!...LOL

here's a pic of the milk truck he lived in for 2 days while bending the forks & frame back into enough shape to ride home

she fell over in the soft sand stopping at the scene so it was appropriate to include her in this pic of the dual-sport BSA pilot...

she looks pissed...LOL

anyway...it was a good day out

Out again

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:12:58 +0000

Met up with Dawn and her brother and went up over Llangynnidr to Crickhowell and Abergavenny stopping here for the usual picture.

After a couple of teas at the cafe, fairly quiet except for the guy who collared Dawn, on towards Monmouth where Dave left us. It was then over to the Ferrest of Dean through Cinderford and down to Chepstow where we stopped here

so that I coul get a picture of this

Then it was back via Usk and Pontypool to see Og for a brew.

Great to be out but a bit wary of gravel and hedges.

Thanks for being gentle with me Dawn.

pioneers

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:28:02 +0000

probably only SFR, Lone & of course Ren who's about 150 will remember these heady days, but for the rest of us this is inspiring stuff, everybody does it these days but back in '53 this was probably considered a bit mad... read it & see how it was!

gentleman bikers

First 2-up ride

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:56:27 +0000

Sorry no pics, and for the long winded text, and the first run on sentence.

Since putting the 2-up on the Scout to carry luggage, then tossing the stubby "back" (more like butt) rest on so I could put a taller sissy bar on to stabilize the pack I picked up, I'd been thinking "All I need is a pair of pegs and I can take the wife on the back if the seat's comfy enough."

She's been on the back of a borrowed Road King and loved it. In fact I barely knew she was there. So out 10yr anniversary was yesterday and we both took the day off. I'd grabbed a set of rears off eBay and needed a couple bolts to throw them on. She dropped the kids at school and day care while I grabbed the hardware and went over the bike.

Once tires were aired up, temps climbing, jackets and full face helmets dusted off, gloves put on, and the bike fired and warmed enough we were ready to be off. As she climbed aboard I could feel the (minimal) suspension drop, and the bike shifting as she settled in. First thing to come to mind was how unprepared I was on the way to the BMW/Guzzi rally when I needed to emergency stop.

Mental note: Clearance compromised more than the lowered suspension, n00b on the back, n00b to 2-up on the front. Use your head to keep the wrist in check.

I could feel that she was tense, more so than I remember on the RoadKing. That had a bigger back seat, hard bags, mini floorboards, etc... MADE for 2-up. Now, I test sat on the pillion and it was surprisingly comfy but I wasn't sure if she was comfy, she said she was fine.

Off we went to the bank, then to the British Beer Company for lunch.

Right off the bat, my bike is not a long distance 2-up tourer. Were we ever to get the chance to ride together I'd need another bike. She asked about that at lunch, "Would you ever consider a RoadKing or a Goldwing?"

Hell yeah! Originally I thought an RK would be doubling what I've already got. This is not the case.

Anyhow after a couple higher speed roads, about 15miles, and some corners she wasn't clinging to me quite as much. I could feel a shift once in a while. At the bank, the lid came off to a huge smile and "My hair is a mess."
"That happens."

Grab some cash and it's back on for a few of the roads to go past the tiny cottage on the lake that we used to live at and off to lunch. The BBC has a killer beer selection but I limited myself to one for washing down the avacado, ranch, bacon burger.

We discussed where to go as it was now 12:30. I suggested heading further out and following the Pan Mass Challenge (bicycle cancer run) route that goes past out house. She'd mentioned a nice twisty road that I commute on everyday and requested no highways. Someone's confidence is up, ok I'm in.

As we went I could tell that the confidence level was up. Less shifting, barely holding on, flowing with the bike. Unfortunately my back was starting to get a little stiff trying not to crowd her. Had we been on a bike with a better backrest situation it wouldn't have been an issue.

Covered about 60miles of windy, winding backroads. Probably a better decision than going for a long-ish haul. Don't want to turn her off to the thought of possibly doing longer bike tours later on down the road.

Sort of a RR

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:37:50 +0000

This might look familiar

Only about 70 odd miles, up the Rhymney Valley, over Llangynnidr to Crickhowell. It looked like rain when I got to the caf in Abergavenny so I got back on and didn't stop - went home through a few heavy showers.

Splendid bike like the last, and great to be out again, if only for a short ride.

Bustupbiker, bends, Barmouth & Beddgelert before brunch or Lyn Lakes Lanes Llanberis & lunch

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:29:31 +0000

Well its been a while since I have seen Lyn & he said to pop up to see him late September/early so promised that at soon as we had a dry day we would meet up. I rang Lyn to check it was still OK & spoke to Lyn's better half Pat too so on Sunday Richard & I set off. I have included a link to our route from Brecon onwards....no point in showing the boring A470 before that.

My link

7am and ready to leave with a very slippery looking new rear tyre.

Much colder than the weatherman predicted and so no surprise that there were no power-rangers at Terry's (the Veranda) on the way through the beacons and even the burger van hadn't opened. At Brecon took the upper Chapel road and I have never seen it so quiet and there were even rabbits on the road. Here is a pic on the Upper Chapel road.

At Builth headed to Rhyader with a coffee stop en route. At Rhyader picked up the St Harmon road and Alan will be please to know that the gap in the hedge has now been repaired....

At Llanidloes picked up the Clywedog road

Then Dylife gorge

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/walks/pages/weatherman_glyndwr.shtml

Then onto Machynlleth then after refueling we took a left at the Dyfi bridge then followed the coast. Pics shit sorry cos cloudy & windy & I hadnt had enough caffeine.

Then onto Penmaenpwll toll bridge

Then Barmouth

Harlech

After Harlech and a bit of meandering we rode through Maentwrog & picked up the B4410 through Rhyd and had a stop at the Ent lake.....

Alan & I stopped there a couple of years ago to take a photo of the lake and found a tree that looked like an Ent. Today however I couldn't see any Ents...

then to Beddgelert and Llanberis & some pics in between and it started to rain

Lunch in Pete's Eats in Llanberis and while we were waiting for our all day breakfasts Richards sugar level was low so he thought he would have a small pick me up...

Then onwards to meet Lyn & Pat. Had to take the A55 across the North coast as we still had a long way to go....pretty views though. They live near Holywell so at last we arrived. It was great to catch up with Lyn and to meet Pat (really lovely lady) and her son who bless tried to repair my chipped tank but & as the colour is hard to match he offered to patch it up another time. Pat also supplied some really great coffee, cakes and biscuits so I was glad Richards sugar level was kept high for the ride home.

Pic of Lyn & Pat

Lyn's new steed.

After saying ta ta and promising to visit again soon it was time to head home through Oswestry, Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod, Builth, Upper Chapel then Brecon and a quick stop at the Verandah and definately no Power-Rangers

and finally home. Richards sugar rush was still evident by Merthyr when he scraped his footpeg on the roundabout....

Got home at 6.50 so nearly 12 hours after we left. 390 miles covered, tyre well & truly scrubbed in and a beer well earned. Hope Richard enjoyed it and now planning the return visit.

short cuts

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:58:43 +0000

can't be arsed to write anything coherent, so suffice it to say that I was looking for a short cut from the new office to home & another to head office to avaoid the new speed cameras they've installed all over the bloody place...

loverly day... again...