With my new-found freedom once again I've been plotting and planning an escape of sorts, as I do. Some of you may recall my Long Ride Right Round OZ of late-2010. This one won't be in that league, but as we all like a long ride on a motorbike, I thought I'd keep you apprised of my travels. What better thing to do as Winter approaches but to embark on a coupla week moto tour, visit friends and rellies along the way, and have an adventure!? My ride down South is straightforward due to time constraints, but the return promises to be more leisurely, serpentine and twisting, as weather and road conditions permit.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I'll be astride my BRM K100RS heading out to the New England Highway on a two or three day ride down to rural Victoria to see my Mum. She's elderly, and lives independently, but Winter will be setting in soon. It's time for a son to split and stack some firewood for her and in return get a hot, home made bowl of soup made the old fashioned way for my effort. I reckon her secret ingredients are love and familiarity.

This morning in SE Queensland the temperature bottomed out at 6 degrees in my rural neighbourhood. Down thatta way it's been knocking on both sides of freezing at night. I have been watching the BOM weather site (Aussie Bureau of Meteorology) for nasties and since I'm camping on the overnights, the poly sleeping bag insert is stowed and ready for those cold cold nights, along with a bottle of single malt to ward off the chill (I know it doesn't really do that but oh, the comfort!)

It'll be good to try out the new Continental tyres over the road. They grab the bends well so let's see how they do on the open road.



More pictures and commentary to follow.

Tomorrow morning early I'll be heading NORTH along the New England hwy to Brisbane. Will wave if I see you! For me it will just be an overnight trip to visit a mate in Royal Brisbane Hosp who is having chemo. Would offer you a bed for a night but I won't be home till Saturday. Maybe on the way back?

Cheers. I'll look for a white chair passing, keep yer eyes peeled for a bright red single track going t' other way! I don't wave but I do the old Aussie nod-helmet-roll-down-and-to-the-left at passing motorbikes, right waving hand hanging on to the throttle and all. Best of luck to yer mate and what he's going through. To everyone's good health!

Hi GitH,
We are predicting a cold wet winter of old down this way.
Like before the drought.
Look forward to hearing about your travels.
Take it easy on those central Vic roads.

By the way, the RS is looking great.

Cheers,

dee why

dee why wrote:Hi GitH,
We are predicting a cold wet winter of old down this way.
Like before the drought.
dee why

Thanks for the warning, well-heeded, mate. I am packing my woolies. I also have the gear to ride in almost any condition bar snow and ice. I will miss those heated grips though. Big gloves will have to do.

enjoy gith ...!

charlie99 wrote:enjoy gith ...!

Thanks, old mate. I will remember every twist and turn and imagine how much you'd like the ride too.

Life is short, don't gamble it away, but take chances.

Interesting tail pack GITH! I hope it's big enough to "pack up your troubles in your old kit bag" then you can "smile, smile, smile" as you weave the bends. I look forward to your updates! Be safe.
88KE

88KE wrote:Interesting tail pack GITH!
88KE

This is what it looks like when it's full...it's BMW's original Sport Bag 1. I've had it since 2005. Works a charm, waterproof with its Gore-tex liner, Fastex buckles tie down at all four corners, extra pouches on the outside, drapes over the rack with a reinforced bottom panel, and it's copious in size for proper stowage of excess baggage! It'll double as a passenger rest when with pillion or on the pillion seat when solo. The newest version is better in that the outside material is more durable....but as I said, I've had mine since '05! It has been everywhere with me on four different bikes, went on the OZ LRR in 2010 and a month in Mexico too.

Yes it looks good GITH, I don't like rigid topboxes at all.

Just one question, can you see past it with the standard mirrors when its fully packed?

Cheers,
Paul.

PS Just to frighten we small island dwellers, how many miles do you expect to do?

I have K11 mirror spacers on my K100, but even then, It's not in my rearward view but the very edges. But, since I enjoy packing light I've managed to fit all I need into the panniers alone on this trip.

"Travellin' light is the only way to fly"
JJ Cale

We are now in late spring on the other side the world and we start to pack away our warm clothes.
We should loan each other winter equipment as we are not using it at the same time..

Have a good trip GITH.

CF

Thanks, CF. I'm three hours into the ride having a warming cuppa and some nourishing brekky as the fog lifts over a cool morning. The day is sunny otherwise and over the roads early this morning I felt as though I was flying, the bike taut and lean, banking over in the bends, thrumming away beneath me. The way is the goal.

There I was, in the middle of the granite belt, heading towards Girraween, rounding a bend at 130 km/h when what should appear but a phantom white K with a chair, coming the other way, too fast to stop, no shoulder. What did I do? What any self respecting moto rider would do when a fellow forum member passes. I waved.
Saxon was going north.

yay !!!...breif but noticed for sure ..

Have Fun!!!!!!!!

I'm stopped for the night in a clean little pub/hotel in Quirindi. I covered about 800 kms today. I 'discovered' some fine secondary roads, smashed a lot of insects, and torched three full tanks of PULP, 98 octane, if you please.

I deserve a coldie. Thanks all for coming along on this ride with me. We had a cool start then it fined up into a beaut day!

I couldn't help it, I hummed a fair bit of disco inside my helmet today, not my usual choice of music. RIP Ms Summer.

Have a great run GITH. Wish my life was at a stage where I could do similar things but I just have to keep 'working for the man'. If you need a bed in Canberra when going either way just let me know.

Safe travels GITH
I ended up doing 3,159 klm, bum was ok but my knees are a bit knackered. Watch out for black ice mate there s been a few good frosts round ear.
RT

clinks a stubbie ...cheers !

Early in the arvo I had gone round the bend past Bendemeer on the New England Highway (a mostly two-lane ribbon of blacktop) and was starting on the steep, downhill run towards Tamworth, Australia's 'country music capital' (also the home to an excellent motorcycle museum) and remembered that Moonbi Lookout was just off to the right. I hung a quick right and followed the single-lane, serpentine sealed road under the overhanging trees to the top. This is the view that appeared before me:
To the left looking South...

...and to the right...

and the view near the top...


What a day! Now, after several Toohey's Old and a delish plate of Flathead fillets, chips and salad, I retire to my upstairs, unheated room...but the electric blanket is already up to number eleven!

Tonight, down to 2c degrees and a high of 21 tomorrow. I'll linger under the covers with a hot cuppa until I have to get moving...

Looks like your having a ball mate, keep the pics coming. I knew i should've held off starting my new job for another week. Could have been out riding for a bit of r&r myself.
Stay safe and have a beer for the rest of us plebs.

Great work GITH.
Looking forward to your travel log.

Safe trip.

blakey wrote:Great work GITH.
Looking forward to your travel log.

Safe trip.

Ditto, I'm jealous, ride safe and keep the shiney side up.

After an OK sleep in a comfy bed in this quiet old hotel, with the night time low temp just kissing 1c degree, fog has settled in and around the hills surrounding this valley town. I'll take that as fair warning and stay in a while, warm up with a hot cuppa and some brekky, until the fog lifts a bit...I don't want any sudden slips on those still-shaded valley roads.

I'm making a run for the Victoria/NSW border today on country roads, avoiding the main highways as best I can. The route I've planned takes me onto some unfamiliar ground. The map is a tease of seductive, curvy bits that entice me to try them. The new Contis are holding up their end of the bargain quite well. What better way to get acquainted.

Gith,

Following along with great interest and envy.

You have timed the weather well. Showers this morning in Melbourne and maybe central vic but clearing for the next 4 days.

Mindful of the usual safety issues, but..... go gith go........

Enjoy.

Bylong Way is rough as guts but beautiful. The road follows the course of the Goulburn River for 30 kms or so then swerves up and away from a massive sandstone wall at the end of a green, wide valley. Up and over we go with 25
km/h bends then down the other side. My mouth was agape at the scenery and although the curves never seemed to end, eventually all good things must.

I've broken the right hand pannier mount, the bag falling against the tyre, a hole wearing through.

The only general store for many miles had three ocky straps and a roll of gaffer's tape. I have my MacGuyver knife out and have rigged it up...a temporary fix. Any East coasters got a spare Z frame?

Time to roll. Watch for big bumps.

Gith no spare here but you are welcome to fit mine on if you are anywhere near, I won't be using them for a while. Robertson NSW, inland from Kiama, um not far from the Hume or Goulburn. Let me know champ.
RT

pm sent

I have 2. No spares but will not be using for a while.
Castle Hill. NSW. Western Sydney

I have no spare either, but you are welcome to use one off my bike in Canberra. I have a mate in Nowra who has a couple of spares. If you are close the there let me know and I will give him a call.

Well done you lot.

I hope you get it sorted GITH.

Guest in the House wrote:There I was, in the middle of the granite belt, heading towards Girraween, rounding a bend at 130 km/h when what should appear but a phantom white K with a chair, coming the other way, too fast to stop, no shoulder. What did I do? What any self respecting moto rider would do when a fellow forum member passes. I waved.
Saxon was going north.

I waved back of course, grinning inside my helmet. Then just near Warwick another red RS came past...I waved....just in case. Then near Cunningham's Gap, two silver RS models came past, obviously travelling together. Then I saw two sidecars! ( Dunno what they were...big Jappos). I had a great ride, perfect weather, my mate in Royal Bris is doing well, and I did a quick 1100 km or so. On the way home through Canungra etc, the throttle started to feel sticky and notchy. At Beaudesert I stopped and bought a can of RP7...and used it liberally.......then stopped again at Areatula for more of the same...then finally at Warwick where I decided to have a proper look.....turned out the phillips head screw which holds the top throttle assembly mounting piece in place had loosened itself slightly..allowing the mesh to slip. Strange one....

You were not eyeing parts off those old Canberra bombers for a new chair were you?? Canopy perhaps..or just some nice strong aviation grade alloy tubing!!!??

No no no....well..ok...I was just idly looking to see if there were any stainless drop tanks lying around...might make a nice sidecar fuselage...

Just so happens i know a guy..He supplies uniforms and equipment for re enactments movies ect from the periods. he can find or knows of almost anything. ill ask

Bylong Way, west of Shady Hollow, Denman, New South Wales.

The Goulburn River, Bylong Way.

Sandstone escarpments along the roadside. I was awestruck at the beauty of this place. The road got better and better with every turn. Water crossings, a hawk with a metre-wide wingspan, winding curves up and over low ranges. Incredible.

Then I hit bottom...but we have ways to make a bad situation all right.

Yesterday I hit four or five very large dips in the road which bottomed out the shock and sent me offline in the middle of some great curves. I spotted the right hand pannier sitting askew in my rearview mirror and stopped as soon as I could. Thankfully, there was a general store in the middle of Bylong. I had so much fun riding in that area, bumps aside, that I can't wait to go back. The smiles per mile were amazing!

The result of many large bumps in the road, weight in the pannier, and the pannier rubbing on my new tyre. Nothing a little bit of gaffer's tape won't (temporarily) cure...taped up inside and out.

This where she broke off...

Thanks for the several generous offers of a replacement mount. It warms the bones to know that others out there are willing to assist a fellow rider in need! For now I am fabricating a temporary fix. On the back side of the rearmost mount I am attaching a metal shim with two holes drilled in it. One will accommodate the original mount point, the other will be drilled into the plastic frame and a tapered, 5mm screw, nut and 'fender' washer will spread the load and hold it all together. I'll keep any excess weight out of that pannier and she should be good to go until my destinantion is reached. My ocky straps and gaffer's tape, though efficient in the middle of the emergency, did well, but only held for so long.

For now I'm hunkered down awaiting the hardware shop to re-open tomorrow. I'm in no real hurry, and that's the beauty of traveling with the luxury of no specific timeframe. No worries.

Cheers!

Not sure what we'd do without ocky straps.
Some great photos, am following with interest!

Sean.

If you come through Stanthorpe on the return trip drop in I have a spare pair and also a bed if needed.
Me Alby and Marg went through Bylong on the Araluen trip, it sure is a great ride.

Flying round a bend at the top of the escarpment I noticed a dinner
plate-sized lump of mud moving slowly across the road from one swampy
bog to another, then drag its limbs inside as I passed. I turned round
and went back to assist as I'd seen a coupla utes travelling along the
road. This little creature might make it to the egg laying site
afterall. I picked her up and headed her in the direction she was going.


Two old gumtrees at the roadside in the middle of Bylong Way.


The sun was dropping fast and due to the delay whilst repairing the pannier mount, I was well more than several hours from my destination still. I stopped to change to my clear visor and don my fleecey jacket liner to ward off the chill. The temp went from about 20c down to less than 10c when the golden orb sank. I raced along attempting to get to the Hume Highway before dark. I didn't want to be out in the darkness near paddocks and pastureland as the hoppy skippy creatures came out to feed and play. Bloody furry grasshoppers!

I ended up at a roadside hotel and the temp dropped to 3 degrees overnight. Today it is about 15c, bright and sunny. I didn't get far in the end this arvo and am happy to stay in a motel with a large tele so I can watch the MotoGP at LeMans in France this evening. The bike's parked and under cover. It's beer thirty, coldies tipped already!

Rick G wrote:If you come through Stanthorpe on the return trip drop in I have a spare pair and also a bed if needed.
Me Alby and Marg went through Bylong on the Araluen trip, it sure is a great ride.

Thanks, Rick. I might take you up on that offer as Stanthorpe for some reason is about where I end up on return trips and I'm usually flying along in the darkness for another three hours trying to get to Brissy. Let's see how this pannier mount repair goes tomorrow, and Dee Why from Melbourne has generously offered a spare mount since he's travelling from Melbourne up to Bendigo (right close to me Mum's place) on Tuesday.

Thanks again to the forum for offering assistance. I am glad to be a part of this community.


Cheers.

I've located a small engineering shop who've cut, bent and shaped a piece of mild steel for me - for zero money, though offered. 'Just glad to help a traveller out of his predicament', was what the smiling man said. Ever grateful am I.

Now I'll drill three holes, wrap the piece round the inside of the two broken bits, securing it with three 5mm tapered head screws & nuts. This arvo I should be back on the road.

I'll snap a coupla photos to show off my cobbly handiwork. I reckon this is gunna make it stronger, because it didn't kill me. Though the minus three degrees celcius it bottomed out at last night, if not for a warm room, might've. There was definitely frost on the pumpkins!

We start with this...

We end up with this...

It goes together like this...

Stronger than it was...

Now we avoid massive bumps as best we can, spread out the weight of the load, and don't carry so much sh*te around with us in our plastic panniers with plastic mounts...oh, and just in case, a few extra tools, a bench grinder, a drill and some bits, and a vice come in handy too.

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again..."

looking good ....some excelent "bushy " mechanic-ing

The temperature's been dropping rapidly as the sun sets round these parts of Victoria. Last night it got down under the feeezing mark. But still I woudn't trade positions with anyone having to go to work each day. I sure don't miss the struggle for a crust when there's all this riding to be done. Here's some morning frost on the pumpkin...

So are you in Ballarat now? The coldest place in victoria even the frogs pack up and leave in winter.

Guest in the House wrote:I've located a small engineering shop who've cut, bent and shaped a piece of mild steel for me - for zero money, though offered. 'Just glad to help a traveller out of his predicament', was what the smiling man said. Ever grateful am I.

Nice to have the old faith in humantiy restored! Hope you're staying off the roads 'till the "pupmkins" have thawed.

88KE

Only just picked up this post GITH. What a great trip: good weather, the luxury of time and an unspoilt, sparsely populated country to explore. It's why we have bikes isn't it - for the freedom.
Keep it coming
Dave

Is this forum awesome?! I'm heading across northern Victoria on C & B roads towards Bendigo. There in about two hours time I'll connect with Dee Why and pick up the spare pannier Z frame!

The air is warming up, the clouds have lifted, the sun is filtering down on my face through burning Autumn leaves as I roll along the road near the Goulburn river at Murchison. It'a little bit of all right.

good onya blokes !!