I'm five days into a nice little coupla week ride up to Cairns and the region, in far north Queensland. This is Magnetic Island just off the coast. The temps are in the low 30s (c).



What can I say!?

Hooooy Yeahhh, low thirties,............... I think Hobart hit 11 today. No seriously, that is the place to be this time of the year. Just got off the phone to my brother in-law (1200GS), he's in Perth WA, I'm in Tassie. Next year about this time we hope to be somewhere about where you are, way to go.
Don't get the K bogged there on the grass.

FANTASTIC PHOTO (yes I am shouting) Wish I were there it looks like the place to be.
Regards,
Jeremy

Look mates, it justs gets better. I'm now in Cape Tribulation and attempted the 100 km gravel track (4WDs only!) to Cooktown but after the first water crossing (with warning signs for crocs!) I turned back. The water was above the axles on a few 4WDs. I don't wanna drop a loaded over-250 kg motorbike in a fast moving, 1/2 metre-deep clear stream. But it all gets better as I go and the weather is fantastic! More pics to follow.

BTW, the venerable old K-bike just hums along with nary a whimper, and gives good mileage too. At 'speed' I'm returning about 6L/100Km and a bit under 5L/100Km if I don't give it too much stick through the cane fields!

Hooroo, mates!

Thanks, ya bastard!

To the non-Aussies...please do not be upset by this statement as "bastard" is a term of endearment here in Oz. It's our way of saying "thanks for the update, we wish you well on your travels and we are glad that you are enjoying yourself".

Or perhaps it is go on rub it in while we are back here freezing our butts off whinge whinge......
I take solace in the fact the RT does not like those temps but jealous, you bet.
Enjoy and we look forward to the update.

I've made it to the last bastion of sealed roads in far north Queensland, Cooktown. There's a Captain James Cook first landing 'reenactment' going on this June holiday long weekend. He stepped foot on sand here sometime in 1770 after busting a hole in his hull...bloody Great Barrier Reef - pity the Chinese coal freighters don't know about the dangers! The locals are abuzz with excitement. I reckon a few spears are tucked away in the boots of cars. I can't help but wonder how history woulda been changed if old Jimmy didn't stop or didn't say a word about his discovery had he made it back to Jolly Old without collecting a spear in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'introduced pests'. That's not just you and me, White Man.

Beaut spot anyway and a fine place to be stuck a while. Nightime temps in the low 20's(c), daytimes with a stiff breeze around 33c. Another week or two on the road should be good for what ails (ales) me. The K bike hums along as always and the Pirellis are holding up well against the rough bitumen - will need new tyres upon my return to more urban climes. Best to all! Pictures to follow if I can get me laptop to receive a signal and not have to rely on dodgy intertron cafes.

Keep the road reports coming it enables us home bound types to get the flavour of what we could be enjoying.
Regards,
K-BIKE

blakey wrote:Thanks, ya bastard!

To the non-Aussies...please do not be upset by this statement as "bastard" is a term of endearment here in Oz. It's our way of saying "thanks for the update, we wish you well on your travels and we are glad that you are enjoying yourself".

I said that to a Chinese friend in Malaysia and got a look that clearly was a mixture of chock and offense It a bit to explain but he finally got the idea.

Blakey I can't help but feel that there is a touch of envy in that post ?

Yes Ned, right on the money.

K-BIKE said it best "it enables us home bound types to get the flavour of what we could be
enjoying".

Yep, he would say something like that

Anyone on the list would like to spend some time riding in South East Asia. Been thinking about taking my K across for approx 3k-5k trip.
Viability would depend on the cost, and yes, people who can't change the water pump seal can't go.

Oooh, that hurt!

I went as far as Hopevale, 50 kms or so above Cooktown, on the Eastern side of Cape York, but didn't want to rattle my teeth out or vibrate the bike to bits on the gravel road corrugations. The Captain Cook celebrations over the June long weekend brought a 'variety' of people to town and it grew too crowded for me. I'm heading slowly South once again and have enjoyed several days at a time off the grid up in the Great Dividing Range, camping, bushwalking and swimming in clear streams, with no phone nor internet access. What a way to live! How did we do it before? I know, we made our own fun each day as went along. Pictures to follow when I get home in a coupla weeks, possibly sooner. The olde K soldiers on!

Really looking forward to seeing your pictures TWB sounds like a great trip. I for one would be interested in reading what you use for camping gear etc. I am seriously looking at doing some of that I used to be a regular camper in my youth when I went rock climbing in Wales & Scotland. I also nearly got washed away when we camped at Seathwaite Farm in the Borrowdale Valley which was at the time the official wettest place in the UK.
Regards,
K-BIKE

I'm now in Bowen, where Baz Luhrman's big box office bomb of a film was mostly made, called Australia, starring that waif of a thing, Nicole Kidman, and Mr Chest, Hugh Jackman. The jetty's only about 500 metres long, not the nineteen miles portrayed in the film. Who said Hollywood exaggerates?!

As for kit, I use a 1.5 person Sierra Designs Sirius tent - she fits in there too, believe me. It's easy to set-up and waterproof to a good degree, and it's about the size of a football when packed away in its compression sack. I whack the tent poles into my seat bag. I have a French Canadian-made Hollofill sleeping bag that I've had for years, good down to about 2c, then I slide a cotton/poly liner into it and a backpacker damsel, if available, for some additional warmth and friction. We snuggle down onto a 3/4-length Therm-a-rest mattress, which I can inflate to 30mm, or just above the level of piercing rocks. But by then we're more concerned with another sort of piercing. And it ain't tattoos! It works and I've had it for over 25 years, the mattress, boys. Older than the aforementioned damsel. But she's usually not asking.

All of my gear has been used for some time and is all stuffed into compression sacks which can then be cinched down even more with straps. I cook in a single MSR stainless steel saucepan on a butane/propane stove, the smallest I can find, and discard the empties when done with them. They're AU$6.95 at decent camping supply shops. Just don't try to bring 'em onto an aeroplane! I use an LED lantern in the tent for ambience, and for stumbling about after dark whilst looking for the nearest loo I use one of those cheap, LED mini torches from the local parts supply house. I am sure to use rechargeable batteries whenever possible and charge them off the bike while riding. I always try to carry about 4 litres of water in semi-toxic, plastic Nalgene bottles. I use a lot 2-minute rice, instant Top Ramen noodles, tins of soup, tuna and chicken, and add Tabasco for flavour. I stop at fruit and veg stalls and buy handfuls of carrots and onions for that extra bit of vitamin C - don't wanna be gettin' no scurvy now do we, aargh, me hearties? I use a Japanese-made Ka-Bar brand fork/knife/spoon set which folds into a small fabric holster and is about the size of a half a deck of used playing cards. I don't carry cards. I also carry a Leatherman and a Sigg stainless cup/flask for tea and for me requisite whisky. I use some really funky blue rubber silicone bowls that sorta nestle into one another and can be flattened and still pop back into shape in time for the eatin'. I have a small, plastic jar full of local honey for tea sweetener, and, as an additional bonus, for attracting many crawly ants and such to the picnic. I can whip up a decent gourmet meal for myself with the occasional piece of dried tree branch, bit of Aussie beach sand or errant pine needle for some additional flavour, all likely of dubious nutritional value. The damsel doesn't usually stick around for supper.

My riding gear is waterproof, well-ventilated, slightly worn and quite comfy. I carry a clear helmet visor in a softcase and in case I am 'out late' and need to actually see the all-too frequent hoppy-skippy things before hitting them. I use Plexus spray on the visors, headlight and mirrors in an attempt at keeping them raindrop-free if it ever rains Down Undah. My riding jacket is BMW's excellent Comfort Shell, I use Sidi Canyon Goretex-lined boots, BMW Summer II pants with zip-off legs, nylon waterproofs for over me trousers for when it pisses down, and a BMW 'Windbreaker' jacket liner for warmth on frosty mornings and/or cool nights round the blazing campfire. I loaned it to the damsel once since she was only in a tee shirt and shorts, grotty thing. She was smiling even more after that. The helmet is an HJC Carbon when it's warm and a Shoei X11 for cooler weather rides. I carry three pairs of gloves: a pair of leather, vented, carbon knuckle jobs for late-night punch ups, and again, BMW's Summer Rain waterproof gloves, as well as a pair of nicely broken in Held-brand 'Steve', made with kangaroo hide and heaps of tough-looking boyracer rivets to warm my hands whilst sliding down the tarmac of a frosty night. One must plan ahead.

I can chuck all of this into the two genuine panniers without too much drama, and, once again, BMW's excellent 51 litre waterproof (to a fair degree) 'sportbag'. I also use a diminutive Motodry tankbag for the camera, iPod, water bottle and additional bits. For sitting 'round watching sunsets I have a 16 year old 'Kermit' chair (one of the originals made by Kermit Easterling his very own self!) which I picked up when living in 'Merica lo these many years ago. It's a fold-up, compact and mighty bloody handy. That's it. Here's a coupla pics to drool over. (Nope, sorry mateys, one pic only, the rest are taking too bloody long to upload. It'll have to wait until I get to a place where the internet is, well, fully operational.)



I might be home in about two more weeks' time. Hoo roo for now!

TWB,
Good reading, keep it up.
Ajays

Exactly the info that I was after...should the time come when I can get out of the house!

An excellent read TWB.

Many Thanks TWB,
That's exactly what I was looking for, the benefit of real been there done that experience. Cheers mate.
Regards,
K-BIKE

I managed to wend my way South a bit more, stopping and taking in whatever National Park, interesting headland, small beach town, waterfall, swimming hole, white sandy beach, or just plain good camping spot I could find. Last night I ventured up the narrow, winding road to the plateau where the dairy farms and rainforests of Eungella National Park (say Young-Gellah) are, high above Finch Hatton/Mackay Queensland and felt low temps near 11c - a very blowy & wet wind soaked my tent all night long. In spite of that minor inconvenience I had a good campfire convo with two couples up there in the 'primitive' camping ground at the Old Crediton Hall. The gravel roads were mud-slicked and treacherous after the rain this morning and I slowly made my way back to the bitumen with the bike an absolute mess, the patina of a good roadtrip, I reckon! Now I am back down in the sugar cane fields of the Pioneer Valley and reviewing the map for a campsite with suitable defences against more of this inclement weather due from the South. The skies are dark grey and threatening, the first in most of this month. First I must dry my tent! A week, week and a half to go before I'm home. More pics to follow but here's one of the valley from up in Eungella NP looking towards the coast.

Good to hear such creativity in your writing TWB. Must be a great trip. Make sure you clean out the tell-tale hole between oil and water pumps after the dirt road. Keep the reports coming.

I'm at restful Rainbow Beach (near the Inskip Point ferry departure for Fraser Island) after a few nights in the rain in my tent at Tin Can Bay. The weather's cleared a bit and the sun shines more than rain falls. Tomorrow my destination's a state park further along near the Sunshine Coast (a hopeful name at the mo') along Coochin Creek, not far from Caloundra. The Queensland public school holidays are on now so the site could have a mass of screaming meemies running about. Isn't it the way that I get a site stuck between an incessantly crying baby with inattentive parents at 3 AM and an over-friendly bloke who insists on blasting classic '70s rock at more than personal volume, scaring the wallabies and wombats to the next shire!? No worries, as I could be at work shuffling paperwork at my desk! Ride on, K-Bike brethren!


The olde K soldiers on!


River crossing near Finch Hatton, Queensland


Shute Harbour's blue blue water!


What to take along for a month on the road...

Are you at Coochin yet?

Yeah, not far from you, eh....bringing the beer? Nice but for the midgees. The meandering river is the colour of coffee, but not nearly as brown. I am camped right next to it deep in a pine forest. The place is nice and clean, quiet and has the few truly essential amenities. A few families are spread out round the place and there's room for a few more. OZ has some very good state and national parks to camp in and the measly $5.00 per person per night makes them that much more attractive for the long-term traveller. Bring yer own drinking water!

I can't believe there's internet access through my dongle here, though somewhat limited, but certainly appreciated! Now for some battery backup to the bike's 12 volts through an inverter. What did we do in the olden dayz!? If I only had a fridge for the no longer coldies...never mind. This is all too good as it is.

I'd upload a picture or two but the wait would be interminable. Hoo roo, mates.

Many, many thanks to Blakey for appearing at the riverside campsite, six pack of cold Castlemaine XXXX Gold and a packet of chips (crisps for you Poms!) in hand, where we commenced to sit on a log, sip the beer, chat about K-bikes and the merry state of the world. Agreed that the beer is good, the bikes better and that the world's problems will have to wait!

Got down to 5c last night!

I smell another moto-roadtrip coming on! But this time it's down to Victoria into the teeth of Winter. I've just cleaned and serviced the bike, new tyres, and done an oil and filter change. I've also whacked on some good, secondhand OEM front discs which I procured from one of our esteemed forum members, and new brake pads (Motobins' 'Icer' brand as used on the rear successfully), and have fettled this and that to suit.

I leave Friday and may be gone two or three weeks. This time no camping for me!

'Travelling light is the only way to fly.'
~JJ Cale

Rub it in !! Vic in winter - still better than being at work in summer I reckon. Good prices available at caravan parks for on-site cabins, especially if you take out Big4 membership (10% discount).
Black Spur will be shady on the corners though.

I do avoid The Black Spur at all cost lately since the coppers like to pose as sportsbike riders thereabouts, complete with radar in their considerable anti-fun arsenal. I'm going 'in' from the West as I have rellies in the Clunes/Maryborough region to visit first and will make my approach to the Greater Melbourne area from the boring side. But, yeah, the weather there in Victoria's not exactly Tassie in Winter! I spent six years as a Taswegian, first in Trevallyn then in Kingston, and recall going barefoot ten months of the year - we could almost afford shoes! But when you're a kid you don't feel the weather.

[quote:

What to take along for a month on the road...[/quote]

I guess you are traveling light and forgot to take a corkscrew with you......

Some people enjoy a smoke after sex...s'pose wanking a tree will raise some excitement, but that cork didn't go too far!

What smoking after sex!!!
I am too old to go fast enough to burn rubbers. At my age, when you have some, its a good think.
This is the same for wine..... When traveling, a shaken bottle of wine is better than none.
I just posted this video because at the rally last week end, some people had wine and no cork screw.
Without this trick, they would have been screwed

And to think even 'decent' wine use twist tops nowadays! Immediate gratification yet again, without even a nod at time-honoured foreplay.

Two Wheels Better wrote:And to think even 'decent' wine use twist tops nowadays! Immediate gratification yet again, without even a nod at time-honoured foreplay.

Absolutely, i refulse to get corked wines... screw(top) for ever

Back on track...Tweed Heads, New South Wales to various parts of Metro Melbourne and rural Victoria.

I left Lithgow, NSW yesterday at 7.30 AM in the remains of a heavy overnight rain which had turned to light drizzle and was 2c degrees. By Bathurst the temp was up to a mighty 7c and I knew it was time for my heated jacket liner. I crossed a 1200 metre range and the highway ice warning sign at the roadside was flashing. I paid attention. Then the rains came on hard and stayed with me all the live long day until I'd arrived at a mate's house in Barnawartha, Victoria, nearly 600 kms and eight hours later! Good food, a blazing fire and warming libations awaited me. Only one small leak occurred in my otherwise waterproof riding gear and to say it was a most inopportune place would be to put it mildly. Let's say I'll have to sit on that one.

The mighty K shrugged off anything that the weather and my riding technique threw at it. I managed 5L/per 100Km average and received no velocity awards. But, those newly-fitted Icer front brake pads are terrible in their lack of 'feel' and stopping power, especially in wet weather. I knew it the moment I fitted them and rode a thousand k's with them before venturing out on this trip. Some Dunlopads have been ordered to replace them. Those pads, though more expensive, work as intended. The Icers are for the rear only, in my opinion. The Pirelli Sport Demons are forgettable in their ability to make a rider feel comfortable in slippery conditions. I rode the infamous Putty Road from Singleton NSW and the equally infamous Bells Line of Road up into the Blue Mountains in the damp, moss growing at the roadside, and felt confident in their ability and in mine.

Pics later.

Nice trip TWB.
Me, I just got back from 4000 (well 3947 exact!) miles around Europe in 12 days, working (and in a trusty VW Golf I'm afraid) , I hasten to add.
Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary, Czech Republic were among some of the visits. And Boy Was It Hot!! 35C before it the blaze came through the glass windows of the 'jam jar' .
Some great biking roads through stunning mountains. Miles of almost deserted B roads. Except for the goats, donkeys, carts and HUGE pot holes.
Friends I staying with kept getting us sozzeled on the local Raki which they distill, as does almost everyone in the village, they ALL have their own stills. This is a spirt distilled from plums, apricot, cherry, whatever. Rather like Poteen I was drinking in Ireland in the 70's made from the humble spud. It brings back the days of bootleggers and costs about 3Euro for the best 2 litre plastic coke bottle filled with sunny liqued dynamite.
The fine home made local wines compliment, and the food is almost 100% local. Just a way of life in an area utterly utterly BROKE. I've put on weight!
Must be a moral there somewhere.
Will plan to get Betsy the Bike down the asap. Might need a set of 'knoblie's as the tyre of choice though once of those German and Austrian Autoroutes. Drivers there are cheese crazy on Red Bull and high octane caffine, tailgating at 140mph wilth full headlights up your bum to lazer you out of the way!
Oh yes....I drove past the mighty Munich town (our spiritual home of motorcycles) and saw TWO almost perfect K100's. A three cylinder K, blue and a K1100 RS. Both stunning. Not flashed, just being used as they should. Felt very proud.
Cheers, Boris the Bike.

A fine story, well told, of your recent Eastern European travels.

Looking out a mate's window this fine morning there's a dense layer of fog shrouding the tall gums and an eerie silence from the usually raucous bird life. On the walk out to the shed the grass crunched underfoot as I made my way from the warm farm house and began to re-pack the waiting bike. It's only one thin digit above freezing, expected to rise to about 10c, and there just over 450 kilometres between here and my destination in rural Victoria, down the motorway, over the ranges, through the plains, and across the paddocks, to grandmother's house we go. My basket is heavy with burden but my pleasure at the upcoming travel once again lightens the load.

The olde K is a fine travelling companion.

Cheers TWB,
Great to hear of your travels, and it sounds a fine journey. The weather sounds lovely riding. As I get older its really only the wet weather that I don't enjoy. Crisp cool and a light mist is one of the finest.
A qustion, that us bikers deep down really know the answer to, but so often dont manage to express in words. Is the desire to travel distance and feel connected to, (and I use the words with reservation), nature and the adventure of travelling light, (so much better in the open and on a bike!!) part of our long forgotten genetic make up to migrate and be part of our surroundings?
During my trip I was staying with Europe's oldest settled Gypsies. Settled is the key word here. But they fully understand the urge to travel, without borders or fences on a common piece of planet called earth. Native American Indians, South American Indians, your native Australian and New Zealanders will all testify to this.
I'm no Luddite, I always want a warm and modern home to return to, but the joy and urge to be out on the 'road' really seems to be part of our coding.
Have a good road,
BoristheBike.

Hi again TWB. Hope the next leg of the trip was a ride to remember, and that old sun made it warm enough to clear the fog and warn the bones.
Q: Did you really mean that the Pirelli Sports Demon are "forgettable'? I am just about to order a set, after hearing such good reports from others on this forum.
Please update.
Best
BTB

Nuh, those Demons are truly inspiring in the bendy bits, even when wet. I recommend them to any sporting rider. I wrote forgettable simply because they work so well underneath you that they're not noticed after a while and the rider can concentrate on the task at hand.

The part of Victoria I'm in currently is reminiscent of parts of Jolly Old with its paddocks, narrow lanes, hedgerows and sheep, but especially in the lack of decent insulation in the older houses and pitifully inefficient little fireplaces and woodstoves to stave off the penetrating cold at night. As a result of this and being a bit tired, I have caught a heavy chest cold. The heated jacket liner is doing its job whilst I'm riding. The bottle of Black Douglas after dinner offers its rewards too!


Singleton, New South Wales (The top of Putty Road)


Clunes, Victoria

Regarding the bottom photo...what an excellent shot!

My day's ride had nearly come to an end and my fingers were still nimble enough, in spite of the damp Victorian cold, to press the shutter before the camera's battery went flat. Later, upon viewing it on screen, the composition of the photo really jumped out at me. Thanks, I'm glad you like it too.


This photo is of the start of the infamous motorbike course called the Putty Road, South of Singleton, New South Wales. Note the RTA's most generous wish for us all to have a happy, safe and long riding life, the better to be able to pay those velocity award taxes! I rode the entire greasy length of this and also 'Bells Line of Road' to Lithgow in the drizzle. Next time it'll be sunny!

Imagine ripping along in excess of the 'government recommended' pace on your moto on narrow, twisting back roads on a cold, grey day under heavy cloud cover through a forest of towering gum trees. Your front tyre follows the contours of the landscape and you get lost in the motion, smiling inwardly, though you're keenly paying attention and adjusting your inputs and correcting as you roll on. You're digging it. The day has progressed nicely, and you've covered some distance. This is beaut motorbike country. You've made it up into the beautiful, picturesque and relatively empty (in the middle of a weekday, at least) Dandenong Ranges of Victoria. Sounds pretty sweet as long as you're warm enough and it's not bucketing down with rain. The air is cool and moist, massive ferns, like some ancient dinosaur food, grow with lushness by the roadside, a temperate rainforest partially asleep during Winter. Now it dawns on your ride-addled brain and like a blinding flash of the obvious you realise that you're sliding ever so slightly sideways in the bends. You've discovered a fine green haze of moss growing in the middle of the lane on either side of the road right where four wheelers typically straddle the lane! Quickly you align the bike's tyres to the car tracks on the bitumen where it's dry. In beauty often lies danger...time for a good cuppa Jo and a bit of a rest, your arse no longer gripping the saddle from fright, allow the heart settle back to its natural rhythm. You will make it to your destination intact on this fine day.


Selby, Victoria


Selby General Store (Surprisingly good coffee!)

Hi TWB!
Thanks for a great ride report.
Great writing and brilliant pictures.
Just read the whole thread with great pleasure.
Keep it up and ride safely!
Cheers,Wikur.

No worries, mate. Hoo roo.

TWB you should write a book, I love your style it brings it to life in a way that makes it real.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Thanks, K-Bike and others, I do appreciate your comments, but don't encourage me! I might have to get out there and explore even more...wait just a mo', I don't have to please anyone but myself, so why not!?

Well, I am close to home now, the last few days have been raining intermittently, the road surfaces often slick, but my waterproofs are doing the job this time, as intended. I've not had to use the heated gear lately either. It's now packed away safely in the panniers. It's refreshing to be able to doff warm layers as I progress northward. This was not the case in Victoria, where it often was close to the freezing level upon heading out to start the day's ride.

Before leaving Victoria I did submit to curiosity and made my way to Healesville for a hot cuppa, a big feed at the famous Beechworth Bakery, and a good squiz at the map. I decided to give the infamous Black Spur road through the Yarra Ranges another go. Queued up behind a dozen or so members of an original Mini car club and a few tourist transit vans, I quickly grew bored with the crawling pace, though I loved the variety of shapes and colours of the Minis, whose owners are obviously proud of their classic cars. I stopped and snapped a few pictures (but missed the cars), had a look around at the newly-dense rainforest, waited 'til another mass of slow-moving cars passed, then attempted to enjoy the incredible twisties. The evidence is there of the recent devastating fires, but nature has an amazing way of regenerating and the still-towering gum trees that survived the inferno have almost all sprouted a new layer of fuzzy green growth, and the blackboy ferns and scrubby undergrowth has come back even stronger. Before I knew it it was over, I was passing the Black Spur Inn, and rolling north again on the winding, tree-lined, two-lane country roads towards the Hume highway and my first stop for the night on this return leg.


A friendly reminder that bikes inhabit this part of the forest. The Black Spur. Victoria.

Next day dawned cold at 2c along the NSW/Victorian border, and with heavy fog, so I had another cuppa and waited until nine AM before rugging up and heading off. Crunching grass underfoot I threw open the shed doors and quickly packed the bike's panniers. Once under way and crossing the mighty Murray river, I noted the Hume highway's bitumen surface was covered with a smattering of slightly slippery moisture (not quite bona fide black ice) and a very heavy fog still shrouded the landscape. Traffic was fairly heavy still at the latter end of peak hour, and heavy trucks moved slowly. It always amazes me how many people driving white or grey-coloured vehicles don't bother to put on their lights whilst driving in thick pea soup. As long as they can see, I suppose... By eleven AM the fog had lifted as well as the temperature, to a mighty 7c! The sun shone brilliantly, and I made very good time, pushing 140 kph along the highway for many kilometres at a stretch when the road opened up and my line of sight ahead (and behind) was unobstructed. The petrol vapourised rapidly at that rate. I throttled back and sat at a more sedate 120 kph for the majority of the ride towards Sydney, keeping a keen eye out for coppers and speed cameras, the idea of receiving an unwanted ticket in the post firmly in the back of my mind. If you want to play you have to be willing to pay.


Fog lifts and sun shines. Near Merton, Victoria.

The warm and dry motel room and large, comfy bed was a welcome sight to my still-weary-from-the-road eyes. I'm still nursing the remnants of a heavy chest cold, which lingers, and seems to take ages to leave an otherwise healthy body. I threw my kit into the cosy room then wandered into town on foot searching for a bottle of decent red and a hearty pizza. Sated, I slept reasonably well and rose early, packing the bike in a steadily falling warmish rain. Getting away before eight AM I dodged storm cells and errant over-caffeinated commuters in their mad daily four-wheeled rush to earn a living. I love lane-splitting, but you must have the ability to give 'er some cane to get away from their angry front grill and bumper bar. Some car drivers have no sense of humour! I wouldn't either, if I had to sit in one of those metal boxes every day. They have their moments, I suppose, though I haven't owned a four-wheeler in yonks! Four wheels good, two wheels better...

Home is a precious half a day away.


I am accumulating curiously odd and funny river and gully names. South of Rutherglen, Victoria.

Tuesday was a fine day, sunny and clear and about 23c tops, so I decided to change the oil and filter and give the bike a good clean. Not because it was the only thing I could think of to do, but because I had in mind a quick ride over the border ranges out the back of where I live between New South Wales and Queensland.



I started at Tweed Heads, wended my way down the back side of Terranora, over the river to (warning: many Aboriginal place names ahead!) Tumbulgum, past the canechaff-fired power plant at Condong, then on into Murwillumbah. The sugarcane is being harvested so I made my way around the fields and headed into the bush near Chillingham, then up into the twisty roads of Numinbah to the border round Natural Bridge in Springbrook NP, below Binna Burra, behind now-overflowing Hinze Dam and into the back of Mudgeerabah.


The mighty blue Pacific is in the background.


Mt Warning (Wollumbin) in the background over the Tweed River.

The roads were mainly free of cars and slow-moving tourists, so I let 'er rip more than a few times on the smooth and winding tarmac. Those Pirellis did their job commendably. I needed to rub off some of those rubber nubs at the edge since the tyres' early life consisted of a tour to Victoria, mainly on the motorway. Reappearing in the hinterland of the Gold Coast I ambled down from the hills into suburban Nerang past Tallebudgera then back home on the motorway for 35 kilometres or so.


The NSW side of the border sees the road rise quickly and the trees tower over the road. At the weekends this road is full of boyracers trying to prove their manhood...the tourists slow 'em down a notch...but it comes as a surprise when they can't shake the old bloke on the skinny-tyred K100RS on their heels. Old age and treachery overcoming youth and skill!?



The olde K hummed along, as usual. No dramas to report there.


The edge of the Border Range, which is an ancient volcano caldera.

EXCELLENT!
Regards,
K-BIKE

TWB,

It's always a pleasure to read your trip report. Even my wife (she's not a biker) enjoy reading it. You make all of us jealous about your trip.

A big thank you for sharing your experience (and pictures) with us.

Bert

Can i ask if you used anything for the dreaded bum numbness? airhawk etc, im off for a 1300 mile round trip soon and have yet to find anything good.

Or do you have any advice etc?