Warren C wrote:Like Gaz  - I'm happy either way - although we need to bring a tent for the Friday night?

Also any other Sydney siders riding up? Nige where will you be coming from?

Can  we meet up with the Newcastle Krew on Friday morning for the ride up to Guyra? 

Wadayarekon?

Friday morning departure from Sydney Warren. We can organise a rendezvous.

Friday night - tent.
Saturday night - pub

Pub is fine by me.

Friday night I bags a spot on the floor of the garage.

Ditto!
I had thought about it, but was too timid to ask!

If ya snore I chuck ya in the dam with the yabbies.

And he will....I shared a room with him last year at RTs. The Kommunity is a tough one.

tent , so rick gets some sleep
bwahahah

Noted Nige - I'll text you and we can arrange a meet!

Ok pub it is, I'll let the Namoi Hotel know we'll need rooms for 12 or more rowdy bikers on the  Saturday night.

smithy wrote:Ok pub it is, I'll let the Namoi Hotel know we'll need rooms for 12 or more rowdy bikers on the  Saturday night.

What about me?

Bill

What about you?

indian036 wrote:

smithy wrote:Ok pub it is, I'll let the Namoi Hotel know we'll need rooms for 12 or more rowdy bikers on the  Saturday night.

What about me?

Bill

Correction> 11 rowdy bikers plus Bill

Smithy, your back will probably appreciate the comforts of the pub on saturday night. 
Being young at heart , I was keen for a night in the bush , but will have plenty of opportunity on my round trip to Brissie.
Happy to split the cost of a room with any other   at the pub .

Best get on to the cook as well . 
According to the pub kitchen rules , they serve dinner Mon - Fri , they only do on Saturday for prior bookings of 20 or more .

Ed wrote:Best get on to the cook as well . 
According to the pub kitchen rules , they serve dinner Mon - Fri , they only do on Saturday for prior bookings of 20 or more .

Already on to that Ed, apparently  there is a really good Chinese restaurant across the road.

Namoi hotel rooms with a group booking will be $40 each.
If anyone has a preference for a different pub let me know, the Namoi seems to be the cheapest.
I was just trying to keep the costs down, but I for one are happy to pay more if there is a better pub .

Leaving Friday approx 1:30pm. God knows what time I'll hit hit Guyra. Pub sounds good for Narrabri. I have alternate accomodation on a property south of Narrabri in the Pillaga (in laws) but you have to like riding through deep sand

We'll leave a light on for you Al

getting ready to be off tomorrow



hoping the chiro can get my back straight this arvo , ready for the trip

planning to be off from here before 9.30 am

charlie99 wrote:getting ready to be off tomorrow



hoping the chiro can get my back straight this arvo , ready for the trip

planning to be off from here before 9.30 am

Hope you get a good result at the back cracker mate.
We'll see you around 4:00ish daylight saving time!

about right there smithy ...for 4.00pm ish

RicK G wrote:If ya snore I chuck ya in the dam with the yabbies.

Like a chainsaw. BYO earplugs

I plan to be there by around 4pm also.
I have a detour to make to Emmaville to thank the lady at the pub for helping me out after my argument with a big skippy 2 years ago.

Pegasus wrote:
Will we be stopping at Sawn Rocks for a photo op on Saturday?

Thanks,

Andrew

Keen to check Sawn Rocks  out myself as well Andrew , hope to fit it in to the ride somehow .

smithy wrote:Ok pub it is, I'll let the Namoi Hotel know we'll need rooms for 12 or more rowdy bikers on the  Saturday night.

Pub is good. Book me in.
Leaving Sydney early Friday morning with WarrenC.
ETA Guyra 3ish.

Safe trip and have fun everyone. I've temporarily rejoined the workforce so couldn't make this, but have already been tortured by photos of Gaz, Rickmeister, Tom and Bill having beers and pub grub sent to me.
Cheers. RT

Had a few home duties to attend to today , including taxiing my wife to pick up her bike . 
Will pack tonight and off early in the morning . Need to stop at Singleton enroute ( 6-7 am) then to Narrabri .
Al which way are you going on Saturday.

Ed wrote:Had a few home duties to attend to today , including taxiing my wife to pick up her bike . 
Will pack tonight and off early in the morning . Need to stop at Singleton enroute ( 6-7 am) then to Narrabri .
Al which way are you going on Saturday.

Narrabri for me is Mudgee Dunedoo Mendooran Coonabarrabran then up the Newell

thought you might take that way.
I'll stick to the New England until I get over the Murrurundi range .

Looks like a wet couple of days ahead . Ride safe everyone .

Hi all! I'm safely home again with the 2017 Northern Tablelands Run done.

First up of course is a big thank you to Smithy and his family for organising the event and putting up with the motley krew on Friday night. Smithy has finally made peace with the weather Gods and there were no thunder storms, tornadoes or stifling hot weather this year.

My weekend kicked off on Thursday morning meeting up with Rickmeister and Tom Grabau along with indian 036 (Bill), who had ventured up to Newcastle on Wednesday night, at the Rickmeister residence with the four of us heading up through the Dungog region, a well known shock absorber testing ground, to Gloucester for our first kaffeine injection. I was most pleased with the result of a recent change in fork oil on the trusty K75 as I had no loose fillings in my teeth.

Rick and Bill powered up Thunderbolts way to Walcha and then back down to the coast while Tom and I took the more leisurely route down to Nabiac and on up the coast to Macksville where we all met up again at the Pub With No Beer. I can assure all of the Krew who may consider calling into this establishment that it most certainly has beer.

The photos that RT claimed in an earlier post were used to torture him are included below. We were kind enough to send them to him on Thursday night along with the usual "Wish you were here, but hey! someone has to do it" message.









The beer was cold, the pizza was tasty and a good night was had by all.

Friday was another kracker of a day for our run up to Belligen and then up the mountain via Waterfall Way to Ebor for our lunch stop. My weekend was almost ruined when I visited the Gents and then found when I tried to exit that the handle on the inside had been broken off - mental note to self "always take toolbox with you to the loo". I managed to escape just before checking if I had phone signal to ring for help.

On arrival at Smithy's place early afternoon our host had guest tents set up in the yard and beer on ice, so without further ado we did the right thing by him and got into the coldies. Throughout the afternoon the Krew members rolled in and the stories and amber fluid flowed.

Since I was pretty lazy and didn't take any more photos I'll let others fill in details of Saturday's ride. The inland route plan that Smithy had organised was great and I was very happy to have the opportunity to go to the summit (1510 metres) of Mt Kaputar as the views were spectacular. Using the words of one of the Krew the only other thing I will say about Saturday was that there was some "spirited riding".

Today's return trip was cool and overcast but no rain for me - a good riding day.

Thanks to all for the kompany.
Cheers

just home now ...18.45  kweensland time, update later ,
but a fantastic event yet again .
thanks to the smithys and the crew

The Kaputar run done and dusted.
Kay and myself were pleased to host the Tablelands ride again, this year we had 14 K crew along for the ride.
One of the high lights of Friday nights bbq was the desert, a big thank you to Olaf, also Bill for the transportation of the pudding.
It always amazes me how a group of people with a common interest get along so well, thank you to everyone that made the journey, it made for another top weekend.
Olaf that pudding was fantastic.
Our Saturday ride took us west this year for a run to the summit at Mount Kaputar, spirited riding, maybe. challenging dirt sections, maybe. Enjoyable, definitely.
Here are some pics 











What was happening here Charlie

well ...that would be me running out of fuel ...eh ?
had to happen , giggles , but soon sorted
amazing that 600 ml got me 12 kilometers to the servo ...with some downhill coasting along the way ...where possible

21.3 litres went in , of the good stuff
all good fun

G'day All, Many thanks to Kay and Smithy for the weekend do. A great weekend was had by all. A bit of a challenge riding a bit of the way without a clutch (broken clutch perch after a fall in Gloucester) and a challenge dealing with the loose bits at the Kaputar lookout. A very enjoyable weekend.
Bill and arrived home about 2ish after getting a bit wet on the last part of the trip.
Thank you to Ulli,Gaz and Bill for the company especially Gaz's expertise in repairing clutch perches with duct tape. Also managed to repair Bill's puncture on the way up to Kaputar. That was a new experience not having used the puncture repair kit before.

I was gunna catch up with the crew when you came through Inverell, but visitors arrived so that was the end of that. Looks like a good time was had by all, maybe next year.

after a good run down the New England highway , I met up with Pegasus  about stanthorpe , at some road works in progress
says he "Charlie ?!!  I recognized the top box "

so off we head south
at Glenn Innes  met up with RickG  on his k75 this time
both headed off to the short cut to smithys
after the Red Lion a good sprint across the hills of ben Lomond ...just love that hill
I called into Guyra proper and met Sean and Kerry , and of course the dogs bella and shamus , soon to be residents again
good to catch up

was a Great sight to pull into smithys  with so many k bikes present




a good cook up and a few beers shared amongst welcoming friends in the cool atmosphere, was a pleasure




early start  after eggs bacon tea coffee next day had us at the Caltex , fill up ready to be off to the transport museum at Inverell
 


at Inverell caught up with an old mate from teenage days , back in Sydney suburbs , Gil Robson who works at the museum

certainly some old relics and good talking points abound

 



then onto Copeton dam , along the path to Bingara ,



this time stopping at the spillway  before the back roads into bingara

Bingara at the Imperial again , remember seaniis Zorst fitting some 4 or 5  years ago  , that was here, out the back

dave "werewasi " caught up with us there





and we're off again , an awesome track across the countryside and over the mountains to Narrabri , out on the western plains  famed for mass growing of agriculture , and the start of the cotton growing plains around Wee Wa and on further .

for us lot , off to Mount Kaputar , mentioned in one of TWB's Posts  many years ago now , and an awesome range stuck out in the middle of no-where  just a little east of Narrabri .

the track up the hill was narrow , and in places a dirt section , challenging for some on road tyres on big heavy bikes  , unfortunately Bill and richk G fell victim to punctures along the route .

but up the hill marvelous views to be seen

the height of the range was similar to many aussie highlands (not really very big out here ) ..perhaps everything up near 1500 meters looks quite similar with the terrain and fauna quite similar, that reminds me of snow gums from way further south of here .



only thing noticeably missing is the Wombat holes of our southern highlands regions  some 1700 kilometers to the south (same mountain range extends way down there "the great dividing range "

some great views  to behold ..although quite misty today





once at the Summit







beautiful

and back down the hill again
found al and ed along that path up and down the hill 

back in Narrabri we found our overnight accommodation , and settled in ...and into the bar for a few coldies and some banter ,continued at the rsl club for dinner , then back to the pub , for a few more before a good nights rest

early next day, many of the southerners were off to head home ..a fair distance for many to achieve before nightfall .



for the northerners more or less back the same direction as we arrived  rick and Pegasus heading north before heading east

for Warren, Smithy, Ed and myself , back the same path as Ed had missed the sights of Copeton dam etc

but not a bad track to choose ...along the way we stopped at "Sawn Rocks park "  amazing geology





and a final look back at Kaputar  from sawn rocks  before over that range  and back to bingara ..then onto copeton again ...just for ED



this time at the main Copeton Dam weir in view ...a good pic of the bikes



and Ed can tick off his bucket list , copeton dam


"
Inverell then Glenn Innes  yet again and this time the "standing rocks " another on Ed's list



made of local granite  , should last for eons
a big tribal Celtic  - Scottish highlands games is held here yearly , and the stones I guess  comes from themes of ancient tribal burial traditions and Celtic folk law



smithy heading now south ,, just less than an hour from home .for a beer and rest at last
Ed and myself on the highway north to queensland ,   famous names like Tenterfield , and just south

an interesting bluff   a good place to rest for just a brief period in the increasing afternoon temperatures



Stanthorpe and then Warwick clouds closing in fast we parted company  Ed heading to Toowoomba  and into a defiantly angry sky full of thunder and lightning , me heading east down the Cunningham's gap into the humidity of the coast ...hoping to beat the storm front home .

at last a beer and a well remembered bed of home

thanks to all involved ,
another successful venture with fellow kbike appreciators

to Craig, Kay and Daniel Smith ...thanks so much for your absolute hospitality , and welcoming us all into your home , yet again

cheers from up here  

the route one way


Charlie

Great trip reports and photos.
Mt Kaputar looks familiar, I worked at Mt Dowe for 7 months in the late 1980's, at the TV broadcasting site.

Thanks for all the reports people. Sorry could not make it... in process of selling property.

Some good pics. Looks like a good ride! Am keen to catch up on the next one.
Thanks for calling in to say hello the other day, Charlie!
Sean.

It was a top ride and great to catch up with everyone - thanks for hosting Smithy and thanks Nigel for the company on the ride back to Sydney !

Look forward to the 2018 run!

ainsjac wrote:Thanks for all the reports people. Sorry could not make it... in process of selling property.

good luck Stan

fingers crossed  for you

Joining the rest of the Krew in thanking smithy and Kay for their hospitality and organisation.   Thanks also to all the the Krew for your company and friendship.

Olaf was very generous with the fabled Christmas pudding, to the extent that it was interesting with our luggage allowance getting it all back to France from Ireland and then to Australia. Worth every bit of careful packing and culling, though. It was great to be able to share it with the assembled Kompany. Thanks again, Olaf.

I was pretty apprehensive about my final leg home on Monday from Tom's place. The forecast was for significant amounts of rain all along the way. As it turned out, I left Newcastle in glorious sunny weather, and it was mostly the same right through and past Sydney, except for a few sprinkles while I stopped for fuel and coffee at Warnervale.
I had varying amounts of rain from Campbelltown to about Pheasants Nest, and a brief bit closer to Goulburn. It was all at highway speeds, so the fairing did its job well, and I only got a little damp.
Considering that everywhere along the route had significant rain at some stage of the day, with the really nasty stuff up the Hunter a bit later, I really dodged a bullet by the luck of the timing. Heavy rain along Pennant Hills road would have been terrible! 

Thanks also to Tom for the hospitality and Kompany.

Bill

finally home , just some quick pics , I'll add some words later. 
Thanks Smithy for another top weekend . and thanks to the Krew.

The approach to Mt Kaputar from the south , whilst Smithy and most of the Krew were riding in from the north.


The krew arriving at Mt Kaputar 
 



gathering at Doug Sky lookout. 
Not quite at the top of the summit yet.















The descent from Kaputar summit 

Uli (Rickmiester)


Warren C


Nigel, I was fortunate to catch this one as he was in full flight .


Smithy


Tom


Gaz


Bill


Bill again 


Sunday morning provided a brief moment to inspect the Skroll , and inskript a couple more names . 
Pegasus ( Andrew) caught mid wardrobe signing in . 
Werewasi ( David) taking the opportunity to join in ( not in Pic)





Once everyone was packed and choosing their preferred routes to return home , 
Smithy , Charlie and Myself headed north towards Glen Innes . 
Stopping at the Copeton Dam for some pics .


Our papparazzi taking up their positions .





Gerty


Smurfette


The ride north was an absolute blast .

Ed wrote:finally home....

Crikey Ed...did you keep following Charlie all the way back to Queensland? You've taken a few more days to get yourself home than the rest of the krew! 

Thanks to all for the pics and accounts - deeply envious of your ride out and klan gathering. Another fantastic effort and great that so many of you managed to make it and enjoy a a bit of like minded kompany and a few coldies too. Well done Smithy for herding the kats.

Yes Paul , I took the longish way home , as I caught up with family in Brisvegas. 
My plan was to take a few extra days and explore some unseen roads. 
With rain and storms predicted for most regions I was to travel , I was lucky to have a mostly trouble and rain free trip . Even enjoying the cool climate which is usually absent at this time of the year . 
It was an early start for me , leaving home at 5.00am on Saturday, raining heavy as I left . This petered out as I hit the Murrundi Range .
A straight run to Narrabri is about 4 1/2 hrs . I decided to take the scenic route via Tamworth , and all things country ( music , that is )

The trip to Mt Kaputar started with all things BIG . 
Our rural areas are a great place to spot roaming wide loads including mining and farming bits and bobs . 



Silos ......


and even this guy who thought he could match it with the BIG guys.


and of course the BIG Golden Guitar in the home of Australian Country Music , Tamworth.


took the time to stop in at the Powerhouse Museum whilst in Tamworth





Not a huge selection , but still worth a stop in.








What they lacked in quantity , they made up for in quality. 
1990 K1. Still requiring restoration .






then it was a quick run up to the towns lookout , admiring the Jacarandas out in bloom during November.


Looking south to the Liverpool Ranges.


Some late afternoon showers hampering our travels as we continue on our way to Kaputar. nothing to dampen our sprits though, 


I arrived on the road to Kaputar at about 3.00pm ,    15 mins ahead of the Krew and took the time to aquire some personal pics . 
Smurfette enjoyed the run to Kaputar , keeping a good solid pace all the way .

Thanks for the photos Ed.  

Been meaning to stop at the Powerhouse for ages but it always turns into a "maybe next time".  I always seem to be in a hurry to get up the Moonbi range when leaving Tamworth.  

Work commitments prevented me attending the NTR this year but apologies sent in advance.

Good to see everyone enjoying themselves and dodging the bad weather.

Dave.

We were doing good time after leaving Copeton Dam on our way to Inverell. Then this ....
Charlie requiring a top up . Out of fuel ... Gerty that is , not him .





All fixed in a jiffy , A quick release of the intake fuel hose , an empty drink bottle from Smithy, and a couple of turns of the ignition key to set the pump in action and we have about 550ml of fuel from Smurfette. .


Couldn't pass up the opportunity to call into the Celtic standing stones in Glen Innes .


Including a somewhat Jig from Smithy and I . Methinks the earlier fuel issue caused some Kraziness.





This was the point where Charlie and I parted Kompany with Smithy. 


A few breaks along the way north to Brissie. 



Arriving in Kweensland .
We hit Warwick and it was then time for Charlie and I to go our seperate ways .
In the close distance was one of many storm cells hitting the region . time to get the wet gear on .




I waited it out for a short while before moving on to visit family in Toowoomba . 
Hopefully Charlie made it home dry .

TacKler wrote:Thanks for the photos Ed.  

Been meaning to stop at the Powerhouse for ages but it always turns into a "maybe next time".  I always seem to be in a hurry to get up the Moonbi range when leaving Tamworth.  

Work commitments prevented me attending the NTR this year but apologies sent in advance.

Good to see everyone enjoying themselves and dodging the bad weather.

Dave.

It was a quick exit past Daisy Hill , rain clouds hung over me most of the way down the coast road as I returned home from Brisvegas.
Would have definitely enjoyed a coffee with you.