Things were quite different for us. For a start we are still short one Goldwing. That wasn’t intended when we offered a CB1300S to our mate Jack for his Australian ride.
But we still have a couple of spares as the Biffer is still in the garage awaiting sale and Charleen has her CB1300S.
Then I got a call from Dave Edwards about something else and he mentioned that his FJR1300 is idle. Hasn’t been ridden since our short test ride a few weeks earlier and it needs a run.
Well we are borrowing an FJR for our USA ride in a month or so, some practice doing distance 2up won’t go astray.
To compound the story, Jack and his mate Jeff are here readying their bikes for their own Aussie trip which is to include FarRide East #23. They were all setup so I suggested a shakedown run to make sure everything worked.
I had just recently ridden an SS1600K route so gave them that and waved them off, Jack on the CB and Jeff on a brand new hired DL650.
While they were gone, I jumped on the Biffer and did a quick trip to Bundy to bring back the FJR. Got thoroughly soaked on the way home and heard Jack and Jeff were having the same problem out Roma way. Undeterred, they persevered and learned a lot about riding in Australia.
So Friday, Charleen had the day off work. These are difficult for her to get as our holidays are coming up soon. The three bikes packed and off to Shell Nudgee to wait 10 minutes for the clocks to tick over to 11:45.
Jack on the CeeBee
I had planned a fairly simple route for the FR12. Although Jack and Jeff are accomplished riders with several IBA ride certificates to their names, riding in a new country has its own difficulties. Not the least for these two was just keeping on the correct side of the road.
So out to Yarraman, track across to Dalby, (deliberately bypassing Toowoomba), then down the Mooney to Goondi, the Newell to probably Narrabri for overnight. Next day to Gilgandra then across to Mudgee and over through Wattle Flat for a great ride in to Bathurst.
It all went very well and by going northwest we managed to dodge all of the rainstorms that were hanging about causing misery for other Brisbane riders heading south and west. Several bits of roadworks held us up occasionally, but I felt we were going fine. I couldn’t know for sure as Jack was carrying my GPS with me “flying blind” for a change. No GPS, no maps, just places I’d been many times before – mostly.
Jeff on the DL650
We surprisingly found a fair bit of 110 on the way across to Dalby and of course the same down the bumpy and very boring Moonie. The only excitement when the bumpy road taxed Jacks tie-downs past the limit and his waterproof tent bag departed the bike. No damage but just a few minutes to put it back on properly.
Dodging the weather
Left turn at Moonie and we rode in towards the rising moon on the Leichhardt to Goondiwindi. Refuel and a quick road-snack which took the Americans by surprise. “That’s Teatime?” “Yep.” Charleen and I shared a sausage roll and small iced coffee. Jack grabbed a pastie and Jeff was a bit bewildered, but understood the necessity to not hang about.
Secure that load
Moon and Shadows (whatdyareckon Russ?)
Now it was down the Newell in the dark with all the pretty lighted trucks adding to the fun. They were a bit lighter than usual on this Friday night.
We went so well that we pulled in to Narrabri over an hour ahead of my planned schedule. After a discussion we reasoned that we could do the Pillaga now in the dark or in the morning in the dark and cold and so I phoned ahead and booked a couple of rooms at the Country Gardens at Coonabarabran. I joked that Jack and Jeff should at stay at least one night in a town with five syllables in its name. They had fun just trying to say the name.
The run down to Coona was uneventful, with only a few trucks to overtake and Jack coming into direct contact with his first kangaroo. Luckily it was already dead and fairly flat. We had just overtaken a truck and pulling back in I saw it and swerved around, but he saw it too late. Splat!
Still, let’s hope that is his only one.
In to our rooms and Charleen produced some soups while we went over to the Shell for some breads and the evening meal was complete.
Last instruction of the night was “Sidestands up at 6.”
Awake at five and peeked out. The sky was clear but it was cold. 3ºC according to the phone. Oh well, rug up. The Americans were used to this back home and were equipped with Gerbing electric Jackets, gloves and socks. Charleen and I just put on everything we had. I counted up six layers of material between my seat and the bike seat. Just enough.
It was a lovely ride to Gilgandra, over the Warrumbungle heights with a clear sky and a great big fat yellow moon slipping in and out behind the hills. The moon and dawn glow combined to make a beautiful sight. Sadly, one that cannot be photographed. Not while on the move anyway. Consign it to memory.
Our final refuel at Gil and now across to Mudgee through Mendooran. This, of course, was east. And it was sunrise. And it was cold with the screens occasionally whiting out.
Here comes the Sun
Whiteout
Not only that, shortly after we turned on to the Castlereagh, Jack flagged me down with the news that the GPS was giving an ETA at Bathurst of 11:35. It was suggesting a shorter route through Dubbo, but that would have left us short of the required distance. We’d best not muck about then.
It was occasionally necessary to ride one-handed with the other shielding from the rising sun. “Rise faster Dammit!” A couple of cows thought it might be time to walk across the road just as three bikes were coming from the west. I just managed to see them and persuaded them to change their minds with horn and lights. Through Mendooran, and Dunedoo then turning south to Mudgee, the sun was at last on our backs.
I pulled up in town to check the latest ETA, hoping we had made up a few minutes at least. Seems the GPS had been thoroughly confused and so Jack had plugged in direct to Bathurst and it was showing ETA of 10:20. That’s much better, let’s get breakfast. We stopped in at Busy Bee for some nice B&E rolls and coffee.
Coffee? Thought you’d never ask.
But time slipped by and we again needed to waste no time on the Sofala road. OK, we can do that.
As it turns out, we timed it almost perfectly, riding up the Mountain with ten minutes to checkin opening.
Through Bathurst
Pit Straight
The meetup and get-together has all been described well by others so I’ll skip that except to say it was wonderful to see all the faces and the generosity of so many to bring gear donations for Charles Sturt Uni. Onya FarRiders.
Jack and Jeff were staying on and heading further south next day, se we said our byes for now and headed north back to Mudgee. On the Sofala to Ilford section the old Yammie turned up 100,000 so as promised we stopped for a couple of photos for Grumpy.
Feejer’s Birthday
Further up the road we decided to pull up for the night at Gulgong and found a pub. After such a long day we were in bed by 8:30 and had a fairly good night, only punctuated by a very noisy domestic argument in the street below our balcony window at closing time.
At 6am we crept out of the quiet pub and retrieved the bike from the lockup shed down the back. Fired her up and away in to the morning mist.
Which soon became a fog. Which promptly froze on the windscreen as the temp plummeted to -3º on the bike dash. Bloody heck it was cold. The normally comfy elkskin gloves were failing and I had to continually work my fingers to keep circulation going.
Cool morning with fog ahead
A cold Moon
Just c-c-c-Cold
Eventually we made it to Coolah and some warm coffee and a hot sausage roll. We planned to have something more substantial further up the road but for now there was an annoying vibration in the rear wheel.
It went away at highway speed but by Barraba the slight vibration had become an exaggerated wobble. Pull up at the store, another coffee (bad) and check the tyre. Sure enough a small split showed with the wire quite visible.
I briefly thought of contacting Gatey or TonyK but realised they were staying on in Bathurst. Nothing for it but to push on and try to make a larger town with services. Inverell was closest.
Fuel at Delungra and the split had grown. A nice slow ride in to Inverell.
Here we contacted the NRMA and the bloke was there quite quickly. Couldn’t help much though and informed us that the only bike shops in town were not only not open but really only serviced ag bikes and quads. They wouldn’t have any road tyres. That’ll take a couple of days. Great.
Time to invoke RACQ Ultra Care that we’ve been paying in to for years and never used. Charleen needs to be at work in the morning and I know where I can get a tyre to bring back. RACQ supplied a rent-a-car (after a fair bit of wrangling that shouldn’t have been necessary) and we continued our journey home in a nice warm, but boring, Camry.
Monday it was up early and call in to Pro Honda for a tyre on the way through. Picked up the bike which had been stored at the Holden Dealer for the night and around to the bike shop. “Sure Mate, we can change it but you didn’t need to bring a tyre, we have that exact one in the shop.”
Hmmm. Maybe let the NRMA man know some time.
The old tyre came off and inspection showed two visible outside splits and a long one of about a quarter the diameter on the inside. That sucker was about to blow in a big way.
The new one felt much nicer and I had an uneventful ride home.
FarRiding is never boring.
Good story clint
ReplyDeleteMan....those long bloody rides you do are amazing.....!!!! Good on ya....
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