There will be days like this

Wednesday the 27^th of October 2010

Today started off like most, get out of bed, shower, breakfast and load the bikes etc. But I guess we should have known it was all going too well.

We rode into Bundaberg, home of the mighty Bundy Rum. It was at about this point things started to go awry. Firstly the library was closed when we got there, then the Information centre was not where Tom Tom said it was. Once we had visited the Info centre we headed for the land of Bundy.

The tour was interesting, especially the bit about the fires of 1907 & 1936. One story was the locals were drinking the water / rum from the river that runs next to the distillery because that’s where all the alcohol ended up. The alcohol basically poisoned the river killing the fish, so the locals then dinned out on the fish that had been poisoned. Seriously though check out the size of the fish in the river back then.

The downside to the tour is that you can’t take anything with a camera in due t the risk of fires. So when the tour started officially we had to leave behind our cameras, phones and even our watches. So filming was made a little difficult.

I learned something very interesting today. Do you remember the song Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner?

There are a couple of problems with Nutbush City out on Highway # 19, and they are

“motorcycle not allowed in it” and

“salt pork and molasses is all you get in jail”

If they really wanted to keep me out and keep me from going there and committing any crimes then all they had to do is tell me I would be getting is molasses!!!

Alan and I got to taste it on the Bundy tour, it really is disgusting it took hours to get rid of the taste from my mouth. Now the salt pork I would be going back for seconds!!!

At the tours conclusion we were able to partake of some of Bundy’s finest offerings, as you know I don’t really drink so Alan had my share. The Bundy shop is pretty cool as it has lots of interesting things to buy, we just can’t carry it home…

We wanted to get some photos out front with the bikes parked under the big Bundy bottle, but alas we were thwarted because the auditors were onsite. So even doing video stuff was out.

We then headed for the library, which I have to say I’m becoming a huge fan of the local libraries. It’s the free internet that’s got me hooked.

Here is where the real misadventure starts.

We headed out of Bundaberg towards a place called Seventeen Seventy (1770) on all the road signs its 1770. It’s about 150Klm’s from Bundaberg and is a pleasant enough ride through cane farms and the general bush scenery. When we got to 1770 Alan decided to go off road again and nearly dropped his bike in some soft sand, he ended up in the bushes but kept his Harley upright. In his words a lesser man would have dropped his bike, fortunately I was far enough back to see where he ended up and didn’t go there.

After that we rode along through the town, it was described to Alan as a mini Byron Bay without the crowds. As we were leaving 1770 and heading towards Rockhampton we realized that Alan had lost his shoulder bag which contained his phone, wallet and camera etc.

So we turned around and headed back in search of the missing bag whilst we were parked and making plans for the recovery of the bag we were passed by about 30 people on scooters done up to look like Harley’s (some were complete with ape hangers).

I basically retraced the ride back towards Bundaberg when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket (I’m with Vodafone so out here it doesn’t tend to get reception unless you are close to a major centre) I had a message from Sally (Alan’s partner) saying that someone had found the phone etc so whilst I was making the call to the guy Alan pulled up. The details are too horrible to go into but let’s just say that Alan’s bag is about 350Klms from where we are. (back in Bundaberg) it’s ironic that after all the grief given to me about my bag Alan is the one to lose his.

Thought’s of the day

There is half a day I will never get back

I really hate people who litter, I wonder how much they actually love the country they live in.

Cheers

a

Two things I’m really don’t like unpleasant Smells and Dirt Roads!!!

Tuesday 26^th of October 2010.

We actually left a place reasonably early, 9:30am. That was a surprise to both of us let me give you the tip…

Whilst I was riding along minding my own business listening to my iPod, seeing the sights and enjoying the various country perfumes I was rudely snapped back to reality as we passed through Kilroy. It appears that there is a meat works there, and let me suggest that it really does smell. Now because I may have been in my own little world at the time it is possible that a cattle truck went passed and I didn’t notice it, either way it was a bad start to my day. At that point I wondered about the ways to combat the smell of cattle or sheep urine from passing trucks, my thoughts so far included. Stuffing cotton wool up my nose, I dismissed this option after I realised that would force me to breathe through my mouth. Now the thought of tasting the offending cattle/ sheep trucks nearly made me vomit inside my own Buff. So the only other option I came up with was the old school world war one gas masks that pretty much cover your entire face and have a hose coming down that has a massive filter on it. Now you know what I’m going to be looking for in my next shopping expedition!!!

We headed inland for some more Mountain riding, where two things happened that displeased me, the first was the road narrows to a single lane with gravel on the edges. Which in all honesty is fine so long as the car going in the opposite direction uses the shoulder, lets suggest the 4-wheeldrive didn’t… it’s an interesting experience to say the least.

The next annoyance was the gravel roads, for whatever reason here in Queensland they do half the road work and then leave it as a gravel road for awhile. Now firstly let me suggest that I bought a Harley for a reason, I wanted to ride on great country roads that also happen to be bitumen. If I wanted to ride on gravel I would have bought a chook chaser or a road trail. To say that my dumby was well and truly out would be an understatement.

On  a lighter note I hit shall we say a rather large bump in the road which caused my helmet camera to fall off, luckily I have it strapped to my helmet as well so all  did was dangle around my shoulder until I realized what had happened. But it’s okay we have the technology we can fix it…

The Bunya Mountains are also worth a look so long as you don’t have to go via the dirt roads. Don’t trust your map book, check with the local information centre as to the conditions of the road. The next stop was the Burton campsite, which is a pretty good place to camp if that’s your cup of tea, it also happens to have some of the weirdest looking Blackboy trees I have ever seen.

Kingaroy is a large country town which has a Harley Davidson dealer and MacDonald’s. Unfortunately their Wi-Fi was a tad slow, but what the hell it was free. (Hence I only got to update a bit of the blog)

My navigator then took me to a place called Ban Ban Springs, which is a natural spring that the local Aboriginals once used. For those of you who don’t know, Alan hates the heat and decided to go for a bit of a skinny dip in the springs (I could fore see a Wild Hogs moment coming up) but alas the world was saved by the young country family with several kids arriving before he got in, thankfully Alan chose to wear his boardies instead. After Alan’s dip he informed me that today was the first time he had a sore arse and then enquired if I was in anyway responsible. In case you’re wondering the answer was absolutely NOT!!! (It was probably all the gravel roads we were riding on)

The stop for the night was to be a nice easy hours ride into Childers, but alas it turned out that was not going to happen before we got to ride on some more gravel. I’m not sure what’s going on with this side of the country but road works seem to be the order of the day.

The scenery seems to be ever changing here as well, one minute you’re in a lush forest in the mountains that is so dense and green that you can’t see past the first row of trees. Then you’re in open farmland with lots of red dirt being ploughed ready for planting to long grass with an assortment of wild flowers, the colours are astonishing they go from purple to yellow and pink.

We got to Childers and found some accommodation, let’s suggest it was not the best choice we have made. Put yourself in my place for one moment and you will see why. The room is on the second floor so we have to cart our gear upstairs, the room is so small I can touch all four walls at the same time and yes there are two single beds in there. As for the locals one said “if we here our bikes starting in the middle of the night, don’t worry I’ll just be taking them for a spin”.

Question: how do you know it’s bad…?

You know it’s bad when the local mum says to her very young children, “she can dip her fish into $h!t and eat it if she wants’ too, it’s her fish”. Or you can hear some dude in the toilet next to your room.

In terms of a place to sleep we chose poorly on this occasion, but the food was good and it also has some really great old photo’s hanging on the wall.

My tip is stay at the Palace Motel (it’s just down the road) if you’re in Childers.

Cheers

a

Over the Border

Monday the 25^th October 2010

We packed up our bags and my newly resorted gear sack and headed for Queensland. The first thing that strikes you when you get to Queensland is the sheer lack of advertising or signage saying that you are now crossing the border. I would have expected at least one sign welcoming you to Queensland. But alas, that was not the case.

One of the things on our agenda for today was to catch-up with an old friend from days gone past. We rode into Coolingatta which is quite nice but not what I had expected. I had always thought it was bigger for some reason. Whilst we were cruising the streets I saw an apartment in Coolangatta for sale for $250,000. It was on the main drag overlooking the beach. I’m sure it’s a one bedroom 1 bath, but still I thought it was cheap.

We got to Cilla’s place and had coffee.  (Alan and I had a cup of tea, but I also had some red cordial, nope I’m not likely to ever grow up) it’s great to catch-up with people and reminisce about the good old days.

We did eventually press on into Surfers Paradise, where the car race had just been. I took a while for either of us to realize that we were riding on the actual track and I was riding n/h on it. We then did a ride that is featured in the Harley Owners Group 2010 touring Handbook Australia & New Zealand (page 16, Mount Tamborine)

It was a heap of fun, the first part consists of very steep roads leading up to Mount Tambourine where we saw the local Postie delivering  his round on the mighty Honda 110cc. Luke I’m betting he’s not a DODO (Delivery Only Driving Officer)  I also have a couple of questions, how did he get up there and how do you get that gig?

The view from one side of Mount Tambourine is back towards Surfers Paradise, and five minutes from there is a lookout which has views to the mountains and valleys eastward. Sometimes words are just not necessary.

We then headed for Brisvagas as Alan wanted to go to Morgan and Whacker (the local Harley dealer to get a new Buff). Once we had that accomplished we were just about to hit the road again when two guys started chatting to me about my saddlebag setup for the Rocker C. (they both owned Rocker’s) So I explained to them how it worked and the good & bad bits about them. The ease of getting them on / off and the appearance are the good bits, the bad is the fact that in terms of functionality Harley Davidson really didn’t think about the fact that as you ride along bugs get inside the saddlebags and don’t get me started on what happens when it rains. I do have a solution though, I put everything in garbage bags  then put them in the saddlebags…not pretty but it works.

We then did the Harley ride on page 15, (North from Brisbane) once again roads designed for bikes. Except I was behind grandpa so I had to ride slower around the corners then I normally would, but at least I got to practice my right hand cornering. Both these rides are in the book for a reason they are great rides and well worth the effort. But be forewarned it does get cold up there. Also the kind folk in Queensland roads care enough about us riders to put up signs warning us of impending danger, dangerous corners and the like.

The best news of the day is that I finally got by gear sack sorted, it didn’t move around like it had ADD. Let us pray…Please god let it be so, that the bag does not move anymore because I will never hear the end of it from Alan.

 Amen

Last stop is a place called Woodford, it’s got a massive country pub, but is closed on a Monday night the only shop open is the local Woolworths and its open until 9pm.

So my thoughts on New South Wales is that there is some great riding to be done in the Blue Mountains and across the Dividing Range, with lots of cool places to stay and things to see (if the weather is fine). The roads are predominately good but with some very bumpy and cut-up roads along the way. The good news is the perpetual state of repairs and upgrades going on in NSW means that they will get fixed one day. Stay out of Sydney if you can traffic is a nightmare, go to MCAS and DUES motorcycle shops you won’t be disappointed.

Cheers

a

The funny Folk at Nimbin

Sunday the 24^th of October 2010

Today was declared the “Day of Rest”, Alan was a bit tired from all the riding we have been doing (soft, he should have got on a Postie bike for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week) and we had also checked the weather forecast and it wasn’t looking good for the next few days. So we both agreed that we should hang out in Murwillumbah for a day.

So we eventually got up and did some washing down at the local Laundromat. With the laundry done I headed for Nimbin, some 49Klm’s away, it’s a great ride except for the 2klm’s of road works. (which does mean dirt road) The scenery is once again spectacular, I know I’ve said that a lot but it really is true.

The views are just awesome and worth the effort, the roads need some work but given the constant state of repairs being carried out by the NSW Government I’m sure it will get done eventually. Whilst I was on this stretch of road I was being followed by a sports bike. The sports bike rider was being swooped by a magpie and I must admit I watched this happening through my mirrors, (yep they do work) and had a little chuckle because while I was doing my Postie rounds I used to get swooped all the time.

Nimbin is an interesting place to visit, it’s a one street hippy town that seems to be full of tourists (just like me)I kinda liked Nimbin, if you wanted to drop out of society then Nimbin is the place to be. Having said that I was a little disappointed to that I didn’t get to see the endangered hair arm pit, hairy legged hippies that I had heard so much about. One of the other things that I was told about is a uniquely Nimbin experience and that was to be asked if I want to buy dope. But I was almost about to give up hope that I would be accosted by drug dealers, but sure enough I was approached by two separate individuals on the street. Just so there is no misunderstanding I don’t do drugs, I just wanted to be offered. The rain clouds started to roll in, so I decided to rollout. But I got back to Murwillumbah without getting wet and I was pretty happy about that.

Alan stayed at the hotel because he had a blow out in one of his shoes, so he had got himself so glue and was going to fix them.

Funnily enough it didn’t rain…until very late at night.

Cheers

a

into Byron Bay

Saturday the 23^rd of October 2010

We were told that one of the must do’s  in Tenterfield was to go up to  the lookout on Mount Mackenzie so on the way out we  decided to ride up to the lookout.

What we weren’t told was that the sealed road turns into a dirt road, which never pleases me. I’ve done it twice before and didn’t like the previous two experiences. Once I nearly dropped my bike the only thing that saved the bike was me sticking my right foot down, sure I couldn’t walk for a month after that but it was worth it and to make matters worse my bike  got covered in red dirt, so trust me when I say that was not a happy day!!!

Yes, I hear you say it’s only dirt, and yes that’s true, but I really don’t like riding my Harley on the stuff. Besides last night there had been torrential rain in Tenterfield, and yep parts of the road were muddy and full of pot holes. When we got to the lookout at Mount Mackenzie we took some photos of the bikes overlooking the town of Tenterfield its impressive, but I’m not sure it was worth the risk of dropping my Harley on the dirt

Onto Casino via the worst roads for Harleys, narrow road, tight bends and worst of all unbelievably bumpy. Having said that it was the most scenic route, the alternative was the Bruxner Hwy. and you know my thoughts on freeway and highways. The reason for going the bumpy way was apparently due to “mapping errors within Tom Tom”. I’m not so sure I suspect user error may have had something to do with it!!!

Casino, what an odd name for a town, but alas it has everything a country town needs. A MacDonald’s, that way you can get on the net and check for accommodation. Once we had a look around we headed for Lismore there is not much to see in Lismore, but nice roads for riding Harleys, there are long sweeping bends etc.

Byron Bay is a big beach with a lighthouse which the eastern most point in Australia.

It’s also unbelievably expensive to stay there so we moved on. But as we were leaving we needed to refuel, and what seems t be a common problem for me and Alan. We seem to be getting a bit forgetful. Yesterday I lost my disk lock because I forgot to lock my saddlebag and today Alan forgot to put his helmet on and rode off without it.

We headed for the hills once again in search of accommodation. One of the things that we have learned on this trip is that if you head towards the hills and stay in hotels you will get some great deals. We found a hotel in a place called Murwillumbah. At $55 a night it is a great deal, just don’t expect too much.

My gearsack was still giving me grief, the best way to describe how a gearsack effects the bikes handling is like having a pillion passenger who has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as well as just having eaten several Kilo’s of Mexican jumping beans. It’s a tad disconcerting to say the least, but I think I have a solution…

Alan thought today’s ride was the best ride that we have done so far, and I have to say it was a great ride.

Interesting fact about Tenterfield, Peter Allen was born there.

Cheers

a

watch out for those cows...

Friday the 22nd of October 2010

Things that make you laugh, everyone at Dorrigo said it was going to rain, but it didn’t rain at all last night…
Before we left Dorrigo I got a cramp down my left lateral muscle, it was unbelievably painful but in 10 minutes it had gone, unlike my hay fever. I’m thinking I need to see a masseuse. Yes I know I’m getting old…

We then went through the ritual of loading the bikes, and given my gear sack is particularly troublesome it takes a tad longer than Alan’s to get sorted, which displeases Alan immensely.
The road out of Dorrigo is once again fantastic in terms of scenery, but here is a warning. There are signs saying cows loose on the road!!! Normally I don’t bother worrying about such things as I’ve only ever seen a couple of Kangaroo’s and one Emu on the side of the road, but this time there were several cows grazing on the road side. So if you do decide to ride through NSW and see a sign about cows I’d suggest you slow down.

The day started of fine, but as per normal the weather changed, it suddenly got dark in the middle of the day and the drizzle began to fall. So I pulled over and put on my wet weather gear on, whilst Alan chose to ride on. I later caught up with Alan (he had pulled over to play with his IPod) and he gave me the speech about not being able to read the signs. The theory goes like this you don’t need the wet weather gear if the cars coming towards you are dry and not using their windscreen wipers.

Now I have to admit that this makes perfect sense, if you can actually see… the weather did look clearer but turned for the worst again. So I stopped again to put the rest of my gear on and once again I caught up with Alan who had been hit by hail. Apparently the early warning system has some flaws…
No sooner had we got moving again it cleared up completely, beautiful sunshine and it was starting to get warm. Alan really doesn’t like the heat so he started shedding his waterproof booties whilst riding, which caused him to ride erratically, so we pulled over again so he could shed all his wet weather gear. My thoughts on that were really simple, taking it all off again was guaranteeing that it would rain again. Thankfully it didn’t.

Alan also made an interesting observation at this point, as we crossed over the top of the Great Dividing Range the landscape changed dramatically. On the eastern side its dense forest and lots of tree ferns etc, but as you cross over it thins out into spars gum trees and lots of farmland. The other thing you notice is the smells, the forest has its own unique smells, however with my hay fever I can barely smell it unless we stop for awhile. But you can always smell the sheep and cattle trucks…..

Finally I lost my disk lock because I left the saddle bag open after I got my wet weather gear out. Yep Mark I know what you’re thinking I’ve done that before.

Cheers
a

Dorrigo its a nice place but the locals are scary

Thursday the 21^St of October 2010

The plan was to head for the hills again where we know the rides are interesting. So we left Forster and headed to Port Macquarie via Taree, then onto Kempsey. We decided to stay in a place called Dorrigo because it was getting dark and looking like it was going to get very wet very soon.

We had been on the Pacific Highway for about 20-30 minutes when the traffic ground to a screaming halt, given we were on bikes we were able to get to the front of the queue where we discovered the problem a Mercedes had come to grief. It appeared that the merc had swerved or lost control and crashed into a really large embankment. As a result of the severity of the accident the police had blocked of the road so they could do their investigation.

Once we got going again the ride into Taree and Port Macquarie was okay. Once we hit the country roads life got much better. The roads in the country are sometimes good sometimes bad but always interesting. The road to Dorrigo was a pretty interesting ride because of the winding roads and spectacular scenery like the waterfall.

 

Whilst we where admiring the view a group of riders (about 20) cruised on by. (Clearly it’s a popular ride)

 When we got to Dorrigo, we started the search for accommodation; we parked out front of one of the hotels where the other group of bikes had also parked up. Alan found the spot a $65 a night, twin room with ensuite, but he carpet was a funky shag pile. (Actually it looked like the ones that I pulled out of my place)

So we went to move the bikes when Alan stalled his bike in front of the locals, they got a bit of a kick out of it.

Couple of interesting things about the ride so far

The new camera is working a treat, it gets mounted onto the handle bars via the Gorilla Pod, (saves me having to ride one handed) I got some cool footage of Alan riding around a bend up to the falls.

Riding abilities I’m a gun when it comes to left hand cornering, not so great when I’m doing a right hand corner. When it rains I’m completely crap and slow down to a crawl. Alan on the other hand is nowhere as quick as me when it comes to cornering so I tend to leave him behind, but as soon as it rains (which it does a lot) he overtakes me and all that remains of me is a blip in the rear view mirrors.

I’ve also discovered that when I ride around corners I have to place my right foot so that it hangs below the foot pegs, chassis and exhaust that way I know when I’m going to scrap the exhaust. My left foot on the other hand (so to speak) sits normally on the forward controls.

So everyone who knows me, knows my dislike for freeways & highways. My thoughts are if you need to just get somewhere then freeways are fine, but if you want to enjoy the journey / ride then find another way. Freeways in my experience tend to be windblown roads with trucks and cars screaming past at astronomical speeds, the Pacific highway is one such highway. Having said that it’s not as bad as the Calder Highway in Melbourne.

Cheers

a

The Putty Road and Forster

Wednesday the 20^th of October 2010

Today was the first good days riding on our adventure in terms of weather and roads,

We left Lithgow via Kurrajong at around 10:30am, the scenery was once again spectacular, but as a rider sometimes you have to concentrate on where you are going. I guess it’s a bit like a kid in a candy store; you want it all but don’t know where to start. My thoughts are you do it a couple of times. First time to see the sights and the next to enjoy the roads. One of the legendary roads out this way is the Putty Road, (234klm stretch of winding roads)

Alan had heard of it by reputation as a great road for riding and it lived up to the hype. The Putty Road takes you into Singleton, which is your typical larger country town, we also continued to see a heap of bikes heading home from the MotoGP.  From Singleton we headed to a one horse town called Bulahdelah. (seriously where do they come up with these names?)

Whilst on the way to Bulahdelah I encountered the strangest Bridge I’ve seen in Australia, it was single lane with timber beams and massive bolts sticking up holding everything in place .I’ve decided that I don’t particularly like this type of bridge given I’ve just got a new front tyre…

At Bulahdelah we reckoned it was time to start looking for accommodation, Alan wanted to camp, as for me I was not so keen on the idea so we headed along the coast which was equally scenic until we came to a fabulous spot called Forster.

We found a hotel called the Lakes and Ocean Hotel right on the foreshore. Our room had bunk beds, (I got the top one) and a  great balcony and all this for $45. So we sat back and had our Boston legal moment (I get to be Denny Crane, Alan gets to be Alan Shaw) smoking cigars and drink bourbon. At this point we decided that the hotel option in country towns is the way to go. Cheap, clean and bike friendly.

Dinner was at the local seafood place, where I discovered that most Barramundi sold in Australia is actually from Thailand and Alan got himself a free ice-cream. It must have been his personality and wit…

Cheers

a

The Blue Mountains

Tuesday 19^th of October 2010

Forgot to add that Alan nearly dropped his bike yesterday!!!

When we were leaving MCAS Alan forgot to take his disc lock off and began to ride off, as you can imagine this did not end well!!! The disc lock worked in that the bike comes to a screaming halt and with the forward momentum tends to tip over, and this is what happened to Alan. He was fortunately able to keep the bike from completely falling over by holding onto the handlebars and stand on his right leg until the cavalry arrived. Once we got the bike upright and on the stand we had to remove the disc lock as it had become embedded in the disk brake, the force behind it caused it to shear a piece of metal from the disk itself. To remove it we had to use my disc lock as a hammer and then remove the barb from the disc.

It’s raining again…and as per usual we waited until 12 before we decided it was time to leave, the weather was cloudy but fine and cold (and I do mean cold). But alas my new gear sack needed repacking it was top heavy. Repacked it and left around 1:30pm headed to Parramatta to drop the old bag of so George could take it back to Melbourne for us… WE love you George…

Then hit the road in earnest once again

We headed down the Great Western freeway into the Blue Mountains. The scenery is truly spectacular and the roads would appear to have been specifically designed for bikes. As we got further into the mountains the weather changed, it didn’t rain but was a foggy / misty type of thing and still biting cold. At about this point I get concerned, picture this, where heading into the country and it gets all foggy / misty (you know what’s coming) in the movies this is where the brother always gets it. And yes I may be a little paranoid but that doesn’t mean that they are not out to get me… interesting thing about NSW is that It appears everywhere in NSW there is road works going on, not new roads but resurfacing or upgrades. One of the shops that I assume has been affected by the road works had a sign out the front “it’s the end of the world”. I was thinking the same but for very different reasons, my bike was getting dirty again…

We pulled over to get the wet weather gear on and no sooner had we rounded the very next corner we were in bright sunshine. Isn’t that just typical, 10 minutes to put the gear on and then no rain in sight.  

We ended up staying at the Court House Hotel in Lithgow, a room for two single beds was $50 a night with bike parking in their garage. Nice place as it has great views but, everywhere does in the Blue Mountains. The showers are either boiling hot or freezing cold which is always good for a laugh, but for $50 it’s a bargain. Some of the most interesting things about Lithgow are the murals on the wall of the pub depicting the town back in the early 1900’s, one included the first Automobile being driven on the streets of Lithgow. Lots of old buildings with the turn of the century architecture.  The population is about 10,000 and the main industry is coal mining.

Lastly we had dinner at the Workmans club, Alan was intrigued by a very large gentleman wearing a no gut’s no glory T-shirt, puzzling to say the least.

Cheers

a

Today was the photo’s day

Monday the 18^th of October 2010

We rode around Sydney to get photos of us and the bikes. We got some video of us riding over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The first thing that you should know is that the road s unbelievably rough it’s like you’re driving on corrugation, but let’s face it if you’re going to ride your Harley in Sydney it’s something you need to do. The photo in front of the Opera House was funny because we had to get permission from the AFP, but once again but they were happy to oblige they even took the photo for us.  And to cap it of the Bikes on Bondi.

We then headed to Trivett Harley for my new front tyre, but as usual nothing had gone quite to plan. The tyre had not arrived, so I waited around whilst Alan caught up with some friends in Sydney. Eventually the tyre did arrive, boy was I relieved!!! I couldn’t stand the crap I would get if it didn’t get done. The best thing about getting my bike tyre fitted at Trivett was that they also cleaned my bike and boy did my bike need it.

I rode to Parramatta and it was the most painful experience I have ever had, it took about an hour and it’s only about a 13Klm’s drive. Now most people that know me, know that on a bike I don’t believe in traffic jams, I lane split all the time!!! But in Sydney it’s almost impossible given the lanes are very, very narrow…

I met Alan at MCAS in Parramatta, I can guarantee that MCAS is the best accessory shop in Australia, it has everything you could possibly imagine and they will ship anywhere in Australia for $8. I bought a new Gear sack as my original one leaked, not bad for one that was over 10 years old. We then went for dinner with George at the café strip in Parramatta, it’s exactly what you would want good food. The biggest surprise for me was the Papua New Guinea team’s singing at the Café across the road.

When we finished dinner we rode back to Sydney at night, I love riding at night as it’s a completely different feeling. Having said that Alan and I rode down the bumpiest road I have ridden on, I thought that there was something wrong with my bike at first!!! But then realized it was the concrete road, it was literally like riding on corrugated metal.

Tip of the day.

If you want bike stuff check out MCAS

Cheers

a

Bondi Ohh yeah!!!

Sunday 18^th of October 2010

Matt took us out to the coolest bike shop around DUES and then we headed to the city shop of MCAS unfortunately it was closed so we headed back to the Maltese falcons pad. We then headed to Phil’s pad in Bondi, if I could be anyone in the world I think it would be Phil. He’s my new hero…

Alan had a nana nap and I headed to the Westfield at Bondi Junction. My hero George showed me his mini note and I have to be like George, everybody wants to be like George. So I wacked Alan’s Tom Tom between my legs and headed off. Yes it’s a shopping centre that is open on a Sunday until 6pm.

I basically found my mini note at Dick Smiths for $300 compared to Harvey’s for $379. But the real score of the day was I found a HD camera (Sanyo, Xacti) that fits into the palm of your hand, it can also be operated left handed… why is this important, well that means that I can operate the camera with my left hand whilst my right keeps the throttle on. And the best thing is that it only cost $320 with a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty. Now I know your thinking why do I need another HD camera, well the answer is simple if one breaks I have a spare and we have also found that the Sony is impossible to get out quickly.

That night Phil took us out to Dinner on Bondi Beach, let’s just it’s a very impressive place to live. I can’t believe that in all the years that I have been going to Sydney I have never bothered going to Bondi. Trust me when I say I will be back.

Cheers

a

Into Sydney via Goulburn

Saturday the 16^th of October 2010

Before we left Queanbean we decided that we should try the  Queanbean Bowling Club’s breakfast, it was a decent size, so if you after value for money for meals bowling clubs seem to be the way to go.

Unbelievably today was fine but alas the Gods decided that there preferred means of torture was to be sending icy cold winds our way.

We decided to put half the wet weather gear on just in case the Gods changed their minds, besides I just got all this great gear and wanted to wear it. (I do look dead sexy in it).

Because the skies were clear we decided to get some photos of us and the bike at War Memorial. We also wanted the most iconic photo, one of the bikes in front of Parliament House from the end of ANZAC Parade. In order to do this we had to jump the kerb in one of the main intersections in Canberra. We got the photos but let’s suggest that we spent a fair bit of time dogging traffic and watching out for the AFP. Lastly we wanted to get some footage of us riding around Parliament House from the bike & helmet cameras. As it turns out the footage didn’t work, it’s almost impossible to tell if you’re filming.

On the way out of Canberra, I must admit I was getting a tad stressed over lack of fuel, but we made the fuel stop before I had a complete melt down…  The ride from Canberra to Goulburn (via the Federal Highway) was good in terms of scenery, but because it was incredibly windy we spent most of our time concentrating on keeping the bike shinny side up. Whilst strong winds are okay on their own (you just have to get used to riding the bike on a 45 degree angle) It gets really interesting when there are wind gust as well, one minute your leaning the bike over at the 45 degree angle to compensate for the wind and next second you have to stand the bike up right because the wind was gone.

Most interesting thing about Goulburn is that it was the first inland city. It’s a nice enough place but I’m not sure I would be having an extended stay there.

We eventually got into Sydney at around 4pm and headed for the Maltese Falcon’s (Matt & Cristina’s) place .We got our gear and ourselves sorted and then had dinner in Newtown. (It’s a bit like Fitzroy in Melbourne) We had Lebanese, and it was my first time and let me suggest I liked it. In the restaurant they had a video about Lebanon playing, I’m a convert!!! I want to go it looks like a fantastic place. It was once the play ground for the rich and famous…

Though of the day,

If you don’t try it, you might just miss out on the best thing ever.

Cheers

a

What have I done to deserve this?

Friday the 15^th of October 2010

Once again the God’s have forsaken me, torrential rain was falling yet again and without wet weather pants, I was only interested in acquiring  water proof pants before going any further. The nearest Bike shop also happened to be a Harley shop, Robbo’s Harley Davidson in fact. You have to love the Australian flavour “Robbo’s”.

The gods favoured me on this shopping expedition, I found a pair of wet weather boots and wet weather pants. Alan had some reservations as to my purchasing decisions but alas I was convinced because the thing I liked about the pants was they have Cotton patches stitched on the outside of the PVC pants. The Cotton starts at the inner ankle and goes up to my inner thigh. Let me say that again with more sex appeal, my Inner Thigh... (now that’s what I’m talking about) Why is the Cotton Patches so important I hear you ask, it stops the PVC from melting into my exhaust. (which let me tell you, takes hours upon hours to remove and that in itself makes Andrew very, very unhappy)

Having said that I was in need of a new front tire and enquired as to what the price might be at Robbo’s Harley shop all he could offer me was a second hand tire (had done approx 400Klm’s) and they wanted $280 fitted.  I could have got the tire done in Melbourne for $220 fitted, given the fact it was second hand and $280 I got the tire fitted in Trivett Harley Davidson in Sydney for $250 and my bike got a wash as part of the deal. (let me suggest after all the rain and road works we had been through it really did need a wash, I was almost embarrassed to be riding it)

With my brand spanking new wet weather gear on, we headed off to a futile meeting with the Uganda Consulate. Once again the torrential rain greeted us and visibility was at an all time low. The Rain felt like razor blades cutting into my face at 60Klm’s an hour, oh what I would have given for my full face helmet but at least my legs and shoes were dry. Margaret at the embassy thought we were mad and at that point we had to agree with her.

Next stop lunch and a well deserved coffee in the extra large mug. Not for drinking mind you, ohh no this was purely for caressing the warm curves and contours. Oh so warm and enticing, just wanting me to hold it with a passionate embrace.  But alas the moment passed all too soon, the mug was empty and cold devoid of all life giving warmth. There was nothing left here for us so we saddled up and headed for the War Memorial in the torrential rain.

I hear you saying it’s lovely and warm in Perth, it would be a great day for a ride, and yes I’m aware. I saw the forecast before we left our lodgings but don’t worry I spent several moments pondering the eternal question “Are we having fun yet?” To which the God’s decide to answer by delivering a new form of torture, one I can honestly say I have never endured on a bike before. HAIL, Hail and more Hail. The first hail stone hit me on the right cheek and nearly knocked me off my bike. (on my face, in case you’re wondering which cheek)

As I slowly began to regain my spider senses when the God’s unleashed their most furious barrage to date, in response I looked to the heavens and cried why, why have you forsaken me again!!!  Alan (Judas) was just ahead of me and had stopped at the lights, I pulled up to Judas and realized that there was a bright side. He was also wearing a half face helmet and his bandana. Although his pain and suffering made me smile, but I still wasn’t happy…

Once we got to the War Memorial Alan headed to the National Library and the National Art Galley. Alan said he wasn’t quite sure what to expect at the National Library but he wasn’t wildly excited about it. Alan did like the National Art Gallery and suggests that if you’re in Canberra it’s worth a visit. As for me I can’t really describe the War Memorial and do it any justice. It is an incredible place, you can’t help but be moved by the stories about what the diggers went through.

This is a quote that I read that can articulate things much better that I can ever hope too.

ANZAC has come to stand in the words of the official Historian, C.E.W. Bean

“For reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance.”

I just suggest that you should go to the War Memorial and spend a day there.

I left the Australian War Memorial and went to meet Alan at the National Library, let’s just say I ended up taking the scenic tour of Canberra and its outer suburbs. I even found the Airport, eventually I saw a sign that pointed me in the direction of Queembean where our motel was.

We decided to go back to the Queembean bowling club for dinner that night since it was the closest place to eat. After reading the specials board I decided that I would partake of one to the specials, the Cattleman’s Cutlet. A split second after I ordered, Alan thought that it sounded interesting and asked what it was. (something I should have done before ordering) The lady serving us informed us that is was an 800 gram steak, yes folks that’s correct it’s not a typo, 800 gram steak. I cancelled my order and ordered the lamb cutlets much smaller, I couldn’t eat 800 grams of meat in a week let alone one sitting.   However the lady next to us did order one, but we didn’t see if she finished it, let’s say she is more of a man than I will ever be…

Tip of the Day

1: Shop around, for your Harley needs.

2: Always ask for clarification when it comes to the menu

Cheers

a

What a difference a day makes

Friday the 14th  of October 2010

Bairnsdale to Canberra

It was an overcast morning. As we prepared for departure we discovered there was a memorial ride for Barry Sheen (a Moto GP rider) who recently died of cancer. With at least 500 bikes heading the other way we thought we might be heading the wrong way.

Alan was given a tip at the local information office that the inland road was the way to go. It was a great tip as we could finally see the all the scenery. The country side was spectacular and the roads were in great condition with long sweeping bends and some tight corners. We stopped and checked out the view from a look out at Lakes Entrance, it’s a great view of the lakes and we met a few travelers who admired our bikes. The inland route took us through the beginning of the Snowy River and B.. Which describes its self as Platypus Country. But the great news is that the sun began to break through from behind the clouds. I looked to the heavens’ and thanked the gods for the blessing they had bestowed on us, sunshine glorious sunshine how I had missed thee.

Whilst we didn’t see any platypus we did see some wombats and koala bears having a nap (I suggest not hitting one they are pretty nuggety little creatures). Two kookaburras flying in a tight formation nearly collected me as I was rode along minding my own business thank god for a my windscreen and emergency braking skills.

The procession of bikes heading to Phillip Island continued, and I must admit I thought that would be fun to do but all I could think about was the torrential rain that had been forecast for the Moto GP.

We proudly rode into the nation’s capital and headed for Parliament House, whilst I have seen it before (and did the tour with a backpack and got the rubber glove treatment) we wanted the iconic photo of us and the Harleys out front. Whilst we were looking around for the perfect spot Alan turned in front of me, I looked up and realized in the nick of time I was about to T-Bone Alan. Fortunately swerve braking skills do come in handy.  We pulled up on to the walk way out front, and out of the corner of my eye I saw two AFP’s (Australian Federal Police Officers) heading our way on their push bikes. I must admit I thought we were going to get the move on notice so I didn’t bother getting of my bike, but to the lads credit they realized we were just poor tourists wanting to get some photos so they kindly offered to take them. We also chatted for a while as they were bike fans. One of the AFP’s told us about his ride into the Victorian country side.

Our next task was to find accommodation in Canberra, it turns out that accommodation is almost impossible to find. We rode around, tried What if and the yellow pages. (one place had actually burnt down, and had yet to be rebuilt). We eventually found a place called Hamilton Townhouse Motel (in Queanbeyan about 13Klm’s from Canberra) we got a good deal and best of all the place is bike friendly. There is only one way in and out for the complex. Alan was also able to park his Harley under the veranda by the door, very handy.

We missed the dinners at the motel so we wandered down to the Queanbeyan Lawn Bowling Club for dinner. The bowling club is like a massive entertainment complex with lots of pokies machines, a bar, line dancing (yes I was scared) bingo callers and a restaurant.

Tip of the day.

If you have someone following you give them plenty of notice as to your intentions, alternatively if you are following someone then watch them carefully and give yourself plenty of space.

cheers
a

And then judgment day

Thursday the 13th of October 2010

The excitement had built up to a crescendo, but alas the gods had once again conspired against us… torrential rain had arrived on our day of departure. So we did what most bikers do we checked the radar, it didn’t look good massive rain bands were upon us and more on the way. Now everyone that knows me will testify that I really don’t like riding in the rain. It’s not that I don’t like getting my bike wet even though it takes forever to clean my bike, what I really hate is actually getting wet.

So we decided to see if the rain would pass, given we were in Melbourne we thought it would be fine in an hour or two. We settled in and watched another movie (Walking Tall with the ROCK) and waited for the change in the weather. It didn’t come, eventually we thought that we should just bite the bullet and finally left Melbourne around 1:30pm it remained overcast with torrential rain on the radar.

My attire for the day’s ride.

I know what you’re thinking, who cares!!! But hang in there you will understand why I’m telling you this.

Driza Bone coat (from neck to half way down my shins), leather Harley-Davidson jacket with liner, T-shirt, thermal top, Draggin Cargo jeans, thermal pants, Kevlar socks and finally CAT boots.  As it turns out the Driza Bone coat works well on keeping you dry and warm so long as.

1: you’re on a sports bike and all folded up.

2: you don’t have forward controls.

Because I had planned on buying a pair of Oilskin Draggin Jeans before leaving Melbourne I didn’t pack my wet weather pants. Let’s just suggest that was a big mistake as I couldn’t find a pair of Oilskins my size. On my sports bike the only part of me that used to get wet whilst wearing my Driza Bone was a small part of my boots, but due to the different riding position on my Harley, from about half way down my shins got wet. Probably more like drenched, the problem this creates is that when you’re travelling at about 100klm’s an hour the water gets blown up your legs and to what became a very soggy groin region by the end of the day.

Question: How do you know when your feet are soaked?  That’s easy… by the squelching sound you make when you walk, of course… and for further conformation (if needed) it feels like your socks are sliding around inside your boots.

To say that visibility was poor would be an understatement as I couldn’t see anything, as my glasses fogged up and for something completely different water was running down the inside of them and yes it was a little unnerving at times.

Alan’s attire for the day’s ride

 A floral shirt covered by his Draggin jacket, (has Kevlar so he isn’t taking his leather jacket) and finally a wet weather jacket over the top. He also wore (thankfully, the thought of him riding half naked is too much for me to bare) Draggin jeans and wet weather pants over the top. To finish off his ensemble he wore his Doc Martin Boots with little water proof booties (made for cyclists) over the top of them. Okay... Alan's shirt wasn't really a floral shirt.

Whilst Alan got a little wet as you tend to do when its torrential rain being unleashed from the heavens, from my waist down I was completely drenched. Clearly I’m not happy about this turn of events.

 Now for the actual ride, I can’t really describe how lovely the scenery was or the long sweeping bends or the feel of the wind on my face simply because I couldn’t see anything (except the water in my glasses) or feel anything but the razorblade like cuts to my face as the rain kept coming.  As for enjoying the ride all I can say was I looked at some people in cars all dry and warm, as they went whizzing by us and thinking to myself how on earth did I get talked into this, and if I killed Alan could I make it look like an accident and would I get away with it… I’m still working on that one.

When we got into Bairnsdale everything was soaked, my gear sack which was once water proof decided to give up the ghost. The clothes that I was wearing were soaked, my Harley Davidson saddle bags with bin liners leaked. (They are a poor design in terms of keeping bugs and water out, hence the garbage bags). But the day was about to get even better … you see there was no accommodation  in Bairnsdale due to the MotoGP being held that weekend at Phillip Island.

We tried motel after motel we even tried the local caravan park but to no avail. Wet, cold and wildly unhappy we finally stumbled across a pub that fortunately had a couple of rooms left. We gladly took one of the rooms and then proceeded to turn the bathroom into a Chinese laundry or drying room, it was so hot in there that our room ended up being about 38 degrees. Having said that every piece of clothing we owned was hung up to dry in there and was bone dry in the morning.  Just quietly I would hate to see the power bill from that room…. Check out the laundry and my boots, (the photo of my boots was after I had already emptied them once and yep thats water in the bottom of them...



I have two tips for the day

The first is don’t eat something that you know will make you sick the night before a big ride. I had Mexican and as much as I love Mexican the Mexican don’t love me…

The second one is always pack your wet weather gear no matter what.

Song of the day would have to be Spanish Eyes, I have no idea why I put that into my bike riding songs play list but it gave me something else to ponder.

Cheers

a

As it turns out Hell has frozen over and Pigs can fly....

Well after emphatically stating that Alan would not be a pillion on my bike it happened....
                                                                 twice....
I had to take him to get his bike sorted, I know you were all thinking that Alan's Harley didn't actually exist and I was just making up excuses to get out of working for a living. But alas it is true it really does exist and here is my tale of woe.

Much to my displeasure Alan rode pillion from Murrumbeena to Harley City (in Brunswick), with some detours to see the good folks at my previous work in Abbotsford then onto Fitzroy. (my favourite place in Melbourne) When we got to Harley City, Chris informed us that Alan's bike was over the road and all we needed to do was fill out the roadworthy  form and then take it to Vic Roads in Camberwell at 10:45am the next day. Chris also advised Alan that he couldn't get his bike serviced there for another 2 weeks... So lets just suggest Alan's bike wasn't going to be serviced in Melbourne. on Tuesday I dropped Alan of in Camberwell to get his Rego sorted.

Now after two days of having Alan as a pillion, to say that I felt violated is an understatement.

****WARNING THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGERY****

Imagine this if you will, me on my Rocker C with Alan on the pillion seat, his inner thighs wrapped around me, his arms at the ready in case of emergencies. If that isn't disturbing enough as I lane split Alan would apply a vice like grip with his inner thighs, he claims it was to prevent his knees from hitting cars. I'm not so sure, but please understand the telling of this tale is causing me to relive some painful memories so if i get emotional bare with me.

When I got back to Murrumbeena I found myself sobbing uncontrollably, so I crawled into the shower. But no matter how hard I scrubbed or how hot the water was is still felt dirty, as a result I gave up and I just lay there curled up in the foetal  for what seemed an eternity.

But I'm better now, we have two bikes and we can finally begin.
 

In the interest of full disclosure

Alan, Grant* & I are what is commonly referred to as Heterosexual Life Partners, and whilst I'm comfortable with the title there are things about the whole scenario that concern me.
Firstly let me suggest that between the 3 of us we actually make one complete man. Indeed if we could truly morph into the one body we would be the Mythical "Perfect Man".

So back to the story at hand.
Because Alan has no bike, we are limited in our transport options.
The first option is he puts on his chaps pulls out the fur coat and gets on the back of my bike. Let me suggest this is not ever going to happen, the mere though of Alan wrapping his arms around me is more than a little disturbing.
Second option beg, borrow or steal a car. so that's exactly what we did. (begged and then borrowed)

To the day's events

Alan & I drove in our lovely borrowed car to see the folks at Draggin Jeans, we checked out the range of riding jeans that they have, not only do they have a impressive range of jeans but they do a whole pile of other riding gear.

So to try on the gear we shared a change room / toilet, weird I know... but it gets worse, it really does...
whilst we were trying on the various types of Draggin Jeans we discovered that we are the exact same size. and no I'm not happy, its just not right. I can't legitimately sledge him about his, well lets just say it's something to do with his... And yes it continues to get worse.

Alan suggests that we can halve the gear we need to carry around by simply sharing all our clothes. Lets just say that is not an option, I'd rather go without my tent, sleeping bag, silk liner, hammock, thermo rest, food and water.

Now that we have that settled!!!!

The gear is fabulous, thanks to the team at Draggin Jeans, go to your local bike shop and check out the Draggin gear. You won't be disappointed.

As a side note
Everybody that knows me, knows that I'm a bit of a thrill seeker but there are things that I won't even do. However as testimony to the quality of Draggin Jeans the owner and founder Grant, gets himself dragged around (bum run style) behind a bike. Now there is a guy who truly believes in his product!!!!


*Grant won't buy a bike / Harley Davidson for some inexplicable reason...which does not please us as he is clearly not riding with us. Come on Grant don't let us down, you know you want too....
cheers
a

I was just speaking to a friend and came up with a
Random thought for the day
Female stalkers are like the Canadian Mounted Police " they always get their man"

And the hits keep on coming...

So I get into Melbourne after a restful sleep on the plane and catch a Cab to where my bike is and surprise, surprise the battery is flat....
As I drop to my knee's i cry out in vain "Why, Why oh Why have you forsaken me!!!"

But alas, my plea's for help were heard for help was at hand in the form of a mobile phone and Harley Assist.  I quoted my Rego, and the dude on the other end of the line said my saviour would be there in less than an hour. me being the optimistic sceptic made my self comfortable after sorting out all my gear.

No sooner had I made myself comfortable, my saviour arrived in his shinny car (and within the hour) and I was on my ride reminiscing about what i really don't like about Melbourne.... the cold, its not just your average cold like everywhere else in the world, its the type of cold that even the polar bears would pack up there bags and head for warmer climates.

But i digress, back to the bike. It was a joyous reunion with my bike and after a couple of tender moments

cue the music

reunited and it feels so good
reunited 'cause we understood
there's one perfect fit and Harley, this one is it
we both are both so excited 'cause we're reunited,

cheers
a

The best laid plains, Ohh wait.....Houston we have a problem.

The background is that Alan's Harley was being shipped from Auckland, New Zealand into Melbourne Australia. with an arrival date of the 25th of September and clearing quarantine by the 6th of October.
My bike would leave Perth and get into Melbourne on the 6th of October.

Well my bike has arrived (i checked my bike tracking GPS), Alan's bike has arrived but won't clear quarantine until at least Friday 8th of October which delays blast off until Tuesday 12th or Wednesday13th of October.

Ohh well, never mind i have plenty of things we can do in Melbourne when i get there.

So the tip of the day is
When Shipping a bike from NZ (or from anywhere overseas in general) get  a definite date of arrival and when it will actually be ready before picking a date to begin the ride.

cheers
a

And So it Begins

Well Today is my last day in Perth and I've finished running around so now its just a matter of sitting back and relaxing until we start in earnest.
The plan is to meet in Melbourne on Thursday (hopefully both our bikes will be ready to go) then we have a couple of people to see and a few Margarita's to drink and some Cuban cigars to smoke and then... blast off.


Once Me and my Bike are reunited in Melbourne (I'm suffering separation anxieties currently) I'll load the link so you can follow the ride and be able to see where we have actually been.


thought of the week

I was watching Top Gear one day, when Jeremy Clarkson came up with this little gem on how the human race advances. He was talking to Ellen MacArthur and referred to her as

One of those people who rather than sitting in the cave saying

"it’s quite comfortable here", goes

"I wonder what’s in the next valley",

 without people like that the human race would not evolve.

So lets go what’s over that hill and what's in the next valley!!!

cheers
a