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Sydney and Back by outfit. Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:44 am
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Guest
Went to Sydney and back a week or so ago to visit a mate who is crook. Rode down through Walcha and Gloucester. Left Bella at home as it's a bit too long a stretch for her and I would also be drinking wine at my mate Paul's place in Clareville. Perfect motorcycling weather: big sky country and about 20C; cool enough for proper gear but not freezing.
On the road at the bottom of the Barringtons I came across the remains of a bike prang. A guy had crashed and burned, literally and all I could recognise was an inline 4 motor and a drivetrain. The rest was all over the road and crispy. Cops and fire brigade all there and enjoying themselves. Apparently the rider was unhurt!
A good lunch was had at a new-ish cafe in Gloucester called Roadies. Discount for Ulysses members and other old codgers. Nice Norton and a Rudge inside.
South of Gloucester and before the Dungog turn off near Stroud, there was a fatal accident which closed the road. I did a U turn and took a punt on a turn off I had seen a couple of km back, which leads to Upper Monkerei or somewhere. This led to 60km of rough dirt road and eventual arrival at the back of Dungog. Along the way I broke the left fairing mount and cracked the headlight lens. Onto Sydney where I arrived after dark after stopping in Maitland for a coffee and a visit to my old Mum's grave as usual.
In Sydney after drinking too much wine and puncturing Paul's garden hose while playing darts, we decided to weld up the fairing mount and do some other minor repairs. We put in a new radiator and cooling fan which I just happened to have in the sidecar and also a new air filter element. I just typed that quickly and it all sounds so easy....this little job that became a two day epic involving angle grinders and welders and removing the sidecar to get at the radiator etc. Anyway, all done now.
On the Sunday after we'd visited Alex in Dulwich Hill, we drove back to Coogee to drop Mark off, wandering through a green light and killing an Audi on the way through. The shiny, black A5 looked a mess, the 1970-something or so F100 we were travelling in ( with a 351 Cleveland thank you very much) suffered a minor dent behind my passenger door. Soon repaired.
The excitement of city living was all getting a bit much for this boy from the bush, so I packed up my gear and headed home again on the Monday...sneaking 145kph this time out of the old girl across the top of the tablelands before I ran out of straight twice. The new air filter has definitely improved breathing, but I feel with a new set of plugs and when Cafe62 has modified an exhaust for me, I can hope to touch the old ''ton'.
On the road at the bottom of the Barringtons I came across the remains of a bike prang. A guy had crashed and burned, literally and all I could recognise was an inline 4 motor and a drivetrain. The rest was all over the road and crispy. Cops and fire brigade all there and enjoying themselves. Apparently the rider was unhurt!
A good lunch was had at a new-ish cafe in Gloucester called Roadies. Discount for Ulysses members and other old codgers. Nice Norton and a Rudge inside.
South of Gloucester and before the Dungog turn off near Stroud, there was a fatal accident which closed the road. I did a U turn and took a punt on a turn off I had seen a couple of km back, which leads to Upper Monkerei or somewhere. This led to 60km of rough dirt road and eventual arrival at the back of Dungog. Along the way I broke the left fairing mount and cracked the headlight lens. Onto Sydney where I arrived after dark after stopping in Maitland for a coffee and a visit to my old Mum's grave as usual.
In Sydney after drinking too much wine and puncturing Paul's garden hose while playing darts, we decided to weld up the fairing mount and do some other minor repairs. We put in a new radiator and cooling fan which I just happened to have in the sidecar and also a new air filter element. I just typed that quickly and it all sounds so easy....this little job that became a two day epic involving angle grinders and welders and removing the sidecar to get at the radiator etc. Anyway, all done now.
On the Sunday after we'd visited Alex in Dulwich Hill, we drove back to Coogee to drop Mark off, wandering through a green light and killing an Audi on the way through. The shiny, black A5 looked a mess, the 1970-something or so F100 we were travelling in ( with a 351 Cleveland thank you very much) suffered a minor dent behind my passenger door. Soon repaired.
The excitement of city living was all getting a bit much for this boy from the bush, so I packed up my gear and headed home again on the Monday...sneaking 145kph this time out of the old girl across the top of the tablelands before I ran out of straight twice. The new air filter has definitely improved breathing, but I feel with a new set of plugs and when Cafe62 has modified an exhaust for me, I can hope to touch the old ''ton'.
I can't even remember if I had a chance this year to ride the bike in 20°C. Well, we had one day, I got burnt red like a lobster on the beach in Youghal 
and those leading link forks were something else, and you won't to see the prices they fetch now "hindsight" wish I had kept half the stuff I had as a youth. 
1986 k75, 1985 K100rt, 
