Cruisin' Down Under

Club Rides

2009-06-29T00:10:00.005+10:00

At the recent Poker Run on the Gold Coast a friend of mine was stopped by police and booked for speeding and unsafe overtaking. The police had their siren on for almost 2km and a few bikes stopped but then took off again; other than my friend who stayed to face the music. He was shown a video and told that he was lucky he stopped as all the others would be receiving summons's in the mail to appear in court on a very serious charge of failing to stop, together with the speeding and overtaking offenses. (Time will tell if this eventuates).

We used to get lectured by the police about how unsafe it was to speed and overtake dangerously, but now when you ride with a patch club it seems the lecture is not about your safety; you are drilled as to why you choose to ride with a patch club and told you will take the consequences. It appears that the police are no longer booking motorcyclists because they speed or disobey the laws, but merely using any excuse to deter motorcyclists from riding with outlaw clubs. It is well known that police are currently targeting outlaw motorcycle clubs due to a lot of very public feuding between clubs and suspicion of serious criminal activities.

Is it worth the risk now to go on a club ride? Well you'll have to make that decision for yourself, but I know I won't be riding down the tail end to be picked off by the police.
Stay Safe, Cheers DONNA

Upcoming Road Trip

2009-06-27T15:26:00.008+10:00

I have always harbored a desire to ride the roads of Tasmania, our southern most state. - a trip that a few of us had planned for early last year was canned due to an opportunity for me to spend 8 months working in Kazakhstan. Due to the current state of the economy, work have requested that we use as much of our leave as possible, and so I now have 12 weeks of annual leave that I am taking commencing on the 23rd of November.

I plan to ride down to Tassie and experience as much as possible of it before heading to Adelaide and spend some time with my family and friends for the Christmas/New Year period. After that.....who knows!! Would love to ride to Perth, but it will probably be way too hot for that - will make that decision come the new year. At this stage, I am planning to travel alone so that I can do what I want and see what I want to see. I plan to carry a swag on the back of the bike so I can stop where ever and not have to spend a lot on accommodation. I have already started buying a few things that I will be needing and the swag is next on the list!!

Because I have not been able to ride for the last couple of months due to loosing my licence, I really feel the need to make up for lost time and spend a fair bit of time on the bike. And what could be better than experiencing a fair whack of my own country??

Obviously it is still a fair way off, so some things may change, however, I have booked my leave and it has been approved, so I will definitely be riding a lot of miles and maybe do a trip Donna-style!! Stay tuned for more on this in the near future.

Found an interesting link of what I can expect on the ride from Melbourne to Perth here.

Should I confess??? I've been test driving cars!!!

2009-06-13T01:18:00.009+10:00

Hi everyone, Yep it's true! I've been checking out cars not bikes lately and I have to admit it has been fun. Mind you these were not just ordinary old cars, I went for the fast hot variety and I think I now have to admit to being a bit of a rev head.

So what did I drive? I started off in this lovely red Honda Accord Euro Luxury Navigation model with a sports pack, where I discovered the paddle shift gear change on the automatics, that was a bit of fun. Next I moved onto the Nissan Maxima - more gadgets and a six cylinder, so more power.....hmmm.

Speaking of Gadgets what about the VW Passatt CC, that dammed thing can do a reverse park by itself, you've just got to give that a try. Ok so gadgets are fun, but power would be nice....The BMW 135i Coupé 3 litre 6 cylinder twin turbo put a smile on my face for about a week. Wow that car was awesome! Zero to 100 kms per hour in 5.3 seconds. I was in my eliment.

I also tried the 330i Steptronic which they let me have much more freedom to drive and found myself testing it's overtaking power and turning circle capability - in laymans terms that would be going fast and doing donuts. No I haven't bought anything yet, I'm having way too much fun trying them out. So if you have any suggestions on other cars they will let me test drive, please let me know!

I have managed to get out on my bikes just a bit in between these test drives too. I went to the Wintersun Festival on the Gold Coast last weekend which is all about pre 1974 cars only, but I'm pretty sure they didn't mind seeing me getting around the streets of Coolangatta on my bike. There were lots of bands playing and partying, cool old cars, a few hot bodies to perv at and basically a great time for everyone. I can't say I have come back with a camera full of pictures of old cars but I did get a couple of some great people I met at the coffee shop on my last day there. They were on bikes of course :)

Tomorrow I'm off for a ride around the Boonah Beaudesert area. The weather is perfect as long as you get home before dusk when it starts getting a little cold. For those of you basking in the summer sun over there in the States, it's cold here right now at -4 degrees celcius which is approx. 25 degrees Fahrenheit and for me that is time to be sitting in front of a fireplace with a nice red. Enjoy! Cheers Donna

Sorry I took this with my mobile - not the best pic.

From a ride 2 weekends ago where we ended up at the GlamorganVale Hotel again.

Packed up and heading off down the coast.

Hello World!!

2009-06-01T18:52:00.002+10:00

Yep, I am still alive - just a little hard to post much when you haven't been able to ride. Only 55 days till I get my license back - woohoo!!

Gotta admit that it is hard visiting all the forums and reading about rides that all have been doing, but my time will come. Have been spending a little bit of time in the garage working on the 2 x GS's - trying to pick the best parts off both to combine into one. Is starting to take a little bit of shape so hopefully it will be on the road come the end of July.

Hopefully Donna will have some more stories from the road soon, so stay tuned.

Anzac Day Wobble

2009-05-03T13:27:00.011+10:00

I haven't been out and about as much as usual, but I did enjoy a ride with friends on Saturday 25th April which for those international visitors is the day we remember our Anzacs. The majority of the Anzac day activities are over by midday and that is when the pubs are allowed to open, so a great time to meet up for a ride.

I met with a group of riders organised by the No Hopers Motorcycle Group at the Grand Hotel at Esk where we found it quite enjoyable sitting in the bar catching up, but eventually we did saddle up and get moving. The ride was only a short one, but absolutely enjoyable as they all are around that area.

We went around the Split Yard Creek Road at varying speeds, two of the No Hopers even stopping for a smoke while some of the others caught up. My adventure was memorable bought on by the fact that the Dunlop Harley tyres have a special method of letting you know when they need to be replaced. It seems one ride they are fine, then the next they cause the bike to shake and wobble just to let you know they are past their peek. The centre of the tire still looks new, but with the edges so worn it causes a ridge to form, hence the wobble affect.

I took off from the pub somewhere about three quarters of the way through the pack, but didn't realise that a smaller group would hang back with a new rider. That left me at the end which is definitely a place I am not used to riding. I sat there quite a while trying to convince myself that I could just ride along quietly and enjoy a slower ride. Before too long I could only see 2 bikes up in front, a lady rider friend of mine who was shaking her hand obviously not going to keep up that day and a Jap bike rider (no offence meant) who also was just cruising.

Realisation set in that I would not catch up with the main riders if I didn't get into it now, so off I went. I had left my run a bit late and for a while there couldn't see any bikes in front or behind which meant I got to just ride at whatever precarious speed I chose! That's when it happened. I was going around a left hander when my bike (the Lowrider) got up a bit of a wobble. Now my old Lowrider did this on a regular basis and back then I used to think that was just how it was and learnt to ride with it, but this bike didn't have that same trait so when she got a wobble up I touched the breaks wondering what the problem was.

Big mistake! Going around a bend at about 120 kms an hour touching the front brake when your bike has a bit of a wobble up is definitely not recommended. The bike went into an even bigger spasm with the back end joining in. I have to admit for a split second there I did wonder if I was going to get out of trouble, but realised my mistake quickly enough and hit the power which pulled it out of its dance pattern. From that point on you would think I would slow down, but I decided that now that I knew what the problem was (the front tyre needed replacing) I would just ride hard and manage it. I still hadn't caught up!

I didn't take long then to come up behind the rest of the group and one of the two guys who had stopped came up behind me just as I went around another bend. Off she went again all over the place and I slowed down this time knowing that the guy behind me would not know I had it under control. I let him past and powered back on, keeping up with him until we reached the next pub where he jumped off his bike and rushed over to tell me I should do something about my bike, put a steering damper on it or something as it was out of control. The poor guy was quite alarmed! I told him a new front tyre would fix it and went on to describe how that was nothing, that he should have seen the first wobble it got up in comparison.

We were stopped at the Fernvale Hotel and just as we were about to go in for a drink, the Odin's Warriors Poker Run group pulled up. We found out that they had already been in the direction we were going and were heading back to their clubhouse from there, so we decided to keep going and stop off at Lowood for a while instead. We were heading to the Glamorgan Vale Hotel Anzac Day celebrations where Skip (a friend of ours) had a hangi down and an excellent band, the Wasabi's, was playing that night.

What a great night. Not many of the crew who had been on the ride stayed into the night, but the attendance was good enough that even Skip was overwhelmed by numbers when dinner time came around, and the hotel had to contribute to dinner with a great steak dinner alternative. The Aussies won the events 2 out of 3 by winning the tug of war and (inflatable) sheep tackling contest, with the Kiwi's wining the thong (jandal) throwing competition.

Wasabi did not disappoint us. What a great band they are, if you see them advertised to play anywhere you should catch them, you're sure to have a great night. Hopefully they will play at the Glamorgan Vale more often because it certainly gets the place rocking.

It's a long weekend in Queensland this weekend and I am going for a ride out through Boonah, Dugandan, Rathdownie way, but also taking some time out to do some gardening and just relax at home. I hope you all have a great weekend. Catch you on the road.

I didn't get my camera out on Anzac Day, so I added a few old pics. Funny how many pics I have at pubs! Cheers Donna

Ettamoogah Pub on the way up to the Sunshine Coast

Jandowie Hotel with the American Motorcycle Club

Landsborough Hotel with the Black Uhlans a few years ago.

Skill

2009-04-23T20:44:00.006+10:00

I know it doesn't have a motor, but man, check the skill of this guy named Danny MacAskill!! Absolutely fantastic.

My Little Holiday....

2009-04-06T20:46:00.006+10:00

Finally received my Notice to Choose from Queensland Transport - not much of a choice though!! Looks like I will be taking a 3 month hiatus starting in two weeks (my chosen date) mainly due to the fact that I cannot see myself being able to go a full 12 months on 2 points, and I really don't want to take the chance at 6 months off the bike. Bit of a bugger coz I will get 3 points back in early July - oh well, I deserved it I suppose.

The joys of public transport, being packed into a tin can with lots of other strangers every morning and afternoon for 50 minutes - oh great. Will NEVER provide the same buzz that riding to and from work does!!! Roll on July - and roll on quick, please.

Get Well Trev

2009-04-03T08:54:00.004+10:00

I caught a bit of KT Did's broadcast this morning just after getting into work and she mentioned a blog that she came across about a bloke called Andrew, a motorcycle jounalist/writer. It is about his recovery from a life changing motorcycle accident - it makes for interesting reading and is very inspirational seeing him work through his rehabilitation on his path of return to a very different way of life.

Pop on over and offer your encouragement to him - I know I will be - Get Well Trev.

Donna's Recent Rides

2009-03-24T13:15:00.026+10:00

Roll The Dice Glamorgan Vale Run - 21st March 2009
The weather prediction was for occasional showers and the clouds that were to drop those showers were pretty black on the morning of the run, so it is not surprising that a few less bikes turned up than expected. Nonetheless there were the usual crowd and quite a few new people including one chap on holidays from the UK who had seen the advert in OzBike and decided to join in the run.

Some took the opportunity, before the ride left, to vote for the Qld election giving the local school a treat checking out the larger than expected roll up of voters on bikes.

The ride started well with the first leg giving everyone a nice cruisy ride out through Esk to Toogoolawah stopping at the Exchange Hotel for a couple of coldies (lights of course). From there we moved at a slightly better pace turning right off the Dagular Highway just before Moore and powered on a little to the Linville Hotel where we had some lunch.

The Linville Hotel is a quiet little spot off the main road not as popular for riders as other pubs, but it has friendly staff and a bit of memorabilia that is worth a look. After enough time for a catch up with everyone we headed off to the Esk Kilkoy Road along that bumpy windy road to Somerset Dam. The group kept in tight formation through this section and maintain a fast pace which made for great riding. I enjoy this type of riding even though you have to keep your wits about you riding close together, but isn't it great fun? The adrenaline is pulsing by the time you stop for the next beer.

The next stop was in the park at Somerset where the van proved to hold a well stocked esky. This was a nice change to stopping at a pub with some lazing on the grass in the sun and others listening to Russell laughing at his own jokes. You know when that happens its time to move on lol.

The final leg proved interesting. After rounding a bend the wind picked up and started swirling and it became obvious that we were in for a serious downpour. It wasn't much longer before those with open face helmets were slowing slightly and feeling the effects of the rain piercing their facial skin and fogging their sunnies. Of course those of us with a flip down visor and not adverse to riding in the rain took glee in rounding them up and taking the planned winding road back to the pub whilst the others opted for the straighter faster route.

Regardless of which route was taken we all ended up very wet by the time we finished the ride, but by the time the band started playing early evening everyone had forgotten that little piece of the day which was overshadowed by a great ride.

Odin's Warriors Poker Run Qld - 28th March 2009
I didn't end up making it to this run but was told it was a great day, except for the 2 riders who got busted for being over the limit that is. The police were in full force for this one, taking pics of everyone, setting up a breathalyzer near one of the stops and stopping club members at Blacksoil. Apparently this did not dampen the spirits of those who attended and by all reports it was a successful run as was the party afterwards.

Night Dinner Ride from Glamorgan Vale Hotel - 28th March 2009
I haven't been on a night ride for quite some time, so I was really keen on this one, especially since it also included a dinner stop. I had no prior knowledge of where the run was going so that could be a feeble excuse for my stupidness during the run. You see, when some of the riders stopped for fuel after only about 100kms, I didn't fill up. Yep you can imagine the rest, but I did manage to complete the ride without running out of fuel.

We left the Glamorgan Vale Hotel at about 5:45pm and headed out along the Brisbane Valley Highway to the Warrego Highway, turning off onto Mt Crosby Road to snake through to Mogigill Road. After that I really can't recall the road names, other than the two dirt sections we had to ride across. I am not sure I would even take that road in the daylight let alone at night. The corrugations were deep and the dust of 17 bikes at night made it very difficult riding. Even so we all made it through and had plenty to talk about when we stopped at Samford (which is where I should have fueled up!!!).

Next, we road along that wonderfully windy road out to Dayboro where we had a great dinner at the pub and celebrated a birthday with a huge cake. This is where I realized I would not have enough fuel to finish the ride and not much was open at 8:30pm, but the kindhearted publican gave me a 4 litres of fuel, then I had to rush to get geared up to leave with everyone else.

In my haste I didn't put my glasses on and they fell off my bike just down the road which resulted in 3 of us being left slightly behind the main pack. I overtook the other 2 bikes thinking that would help for them to follow me through the twisties ahead on the Mt Mee Road, as I don't mind getting into it on a windy road, even at night. I don't think this theory worked as they didn't keep up with me, but I did catch the main group after a serious downpour of rain and waited for the other two riders at the Dagular Highway intersection.

Just to add to our fun, there were roadworks and cattle trucks to contend with...more dirt!!! I really don't mind riding on dirt roads, but I can't say I was expecting this on a night ride. Turning off at Kilcoy confirmed there was no fuel station open and as expected there wasn't any at Esk either, so by the time I finally made it to Fernvale, I only had less than half a litre left in my tank.

I don't know if you can imagine what it is like riding along at night in the open countryside just knowing you are going to run out of fuel and it is just a matter of where and how soon. I had dropped back from the main pack to conserve fuel a little, lowering my speed down to 110 and I was really happy that one other rider stuck with me (thanks Wilson). But that didn't stop me getting anxious about what it would be like to be sitting on the side of the road while my friend goes to get fuel for me. It was bitch black, no moon, no traffic AND raining!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see that fuel sign lighted up!

Anyway it was a good ride overall, most memorable as they all should be and I won't hesitate to go on another night ride again but next time I'll fill up when ever we stop for fuel at night.

I have a few pics of the rides, but not many sorry as I was concentrating on the riding more so than the photography, but I'll try to remember to take more in future. If you think I have been on a few rides lately, these aren't all of them, but more than enough for you to read.

See you on the road and don't forget to say hullo.

Cheers Donna

The Roll the Dice Glamorgan Vale Run

Di from the Glamorgan Vale Hotel

Chook, Baz & Arnold on the Glamorgan Vale Run

No it's not my bike, but I wouldn't mind test riding one!

At the Vietnam Vets Trike, Bike and Hotrod Show with Andrew (centre) from the Social Club

Ouch!

2009-03-23T05:29:00.000+10:00

Over the weekend I decided to fit my newly reconditioned carbs to the GS and try and start her up, to hear the motor run for the first time. I stuck them on with no airbox or exhaust and after charging the battery, I gave it a try - it took about 4 or 5 goes, but finally she fired up!! It was great to finally know that the motor in the bike was ok - it sounded good and ran quite well. Was a little bit of fuel leaking back out of the number 3 carb, but nothing major.

Later on in the day, Dodge dropped in and so I thought I would let him hear her run. I tried to crank her over, but all of a sudden the fuel caught alight from a spark that came back through carb number 3 - shit! As I had no tank on her, I was using a makeshift plastic bottle to feed the fuel in. It didn't take long for the flames to really get going and melt the bottle making the fire even worse. Dodge moved the fuel container and my GSX out of the way while I stood there motionless for a few seconds thinking how I was going to put it out and then remembered that we had a fire extinguisher given to us at Christmas. I ran inside, grabbed it and was able to put the fire out.

Bugger - all that work on the carbs and now they were black and most probably damaged. Not only that - the fire had cooked all the wiring running along the frame from the battery. What a disappointment - but looking back on it, also very lucky that we had the correct extinguisher, cos there was no way anything else would have worked. Was a big mistake to run it with no exhaust and therefore no back pressure. Anyway, I spent Sunday and Monday night cleaning up and checking the damage. I pulled the carbs apart and was surprised to find that other than the two plastic vent tees running between the carbs, nothing else was damaged on them. The wiring was a different story - totally shagged.

Anyway, whilst searching for a replacement wiring harness, I was lucky enough to spot an almost complete GS850 going for $300 on eBay. The wiring harness alone would have cost me a quarter of that - so I bought the bike. It is a later model than mine, but has some good parts on it, including carbs, wiring, exhaust and a complete set of body panels. The guy also told me that he has plenty of spare electrical parts and other bits for it, so it made me feel a bit better after my experience on Saturday. I will be picking it up from Coffs Harbour next weekend and will continue the build there after.

Internet Censorship For Australia?

2009-03-20T17:50:00.004+10:00

You may have seen the graphic on the top left of this blog - the government in all it's wisdom is hell bent on "censoring" specific sites that we can access in Australia. Well, I have found a list of 2,395 sites that the ACMA has blacklisted and is recommending be filtered out of our internet feed.

And get this....they think they can fine me for publicly informing people of where to view it. So I say to the AMCA, come get me - ain't no way I am taking this down, especially, when it infringes on my democratic right to browse the internet.

They have posted a response on their website, claiming that this list does not reflect their list...who really cares if it is not 100% accurate?? It is the principle of this intended action that is wrong.

Anyway, click here for the list.

Donna's Introduction....

2009-03-16T21:08:00.046+10:00

About me??? Hi I'm Donna, a 49 year old female motorcyclist living in South East Queensland, Australia. I started riding too many years ago to think about and have amazing stories and pictures of great rides and travels but for now just a short introduction....

Years ago when I lived on the Gold Coast I owned a GSX250 Suzuki which I soon upgraded to a GSX650. I lived in a share house with 3 other women who all rode motorbikes (OK so one was a scooter, but we let her think it was impressive). I had planned to ride around Australia on my motorbike with a girlfriend only to find out at the last minute that we didn't share the same objective. I wanted to take months or years, she wanted to be in Sydney in a couple of days.

Looking back on that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me, because I made a new years resolution "not to wait for anyone" and that proved to be one of the best years of my life. I travelled by myself with my tent and telescopic fishing rod and clocked up tens of thousands of miles, riding mountain roads and stopping off at little country pubs and every national park and bike rally I could find. (Lots of longest distance female trophies and prizes along the way!) I had a pair of red leather jeans and I think you could say it was a memorable experience, with way too many stories to tell in this session.

People used to ask me the same questions over and over again because I travelled alone...don't you get scared and don't you get lonely. I always answered...scared of what and lonely?? how could that ever happen? They were normally asking that when I was trying to set up my tent or take time out to update my diary or write letters, sometimes it seemed difficult to be alone let alone get lonely. Stopping off at pubs was always a great way to meet people too. Everyone wanted to talk to me and ask where I was travelling to. I got lots of invitations to family homes and farms and met some lifelong friends. The national park experiences and mountain byways allowed me to see just how beautiful our country really is.

I remember having to make a couple of trips home to work for a while and top up the bank balance, but it was never long before I was starting another segment of my trip. I did Qld & NSW in one segment, lower NSW, Vic & Tasmania in another; SA & WA; then NT. Just to give you an idea of the kms I travelled I recall doing about 35,000kms in 3.5 months on the south of Sydney/Vic/Tas section spending 6 weeks of that time in Tasmania.

I guess I have never really got rid of the travel bug, but have progressed along the way with motorcycle changes. I bought a 1000cc shovelhead Sportster and rode it to death before buying a 1988 Lowrider which I owned for 9 years. I thought that was the best bike ever and until one day I decided, out of the blue, to buy a brand new Lowrider without ever even test riding one. I bought it over the phone when Wackers were not interested in uncrating one for me to test ride and flew to Melbourne to pick it up. I picked it up around lunch time on a Saturday and was home the next afternoon with it due for its first service.

The old Lowrider had been good to me and I just couldn't bring myself to sell her for quite a long time. I had actually shipped that bike over to Los Angeles in 2003, with my boyfriend at the time, and rode it around for a year before shipping it home again. The last 3 months of that trip we purchased a 34ft RV (campervan) and a bike trailer when the weather got too cold. It was so convenience to have a home on wheels, a safe place for the bikes and to not have to search for accommodation each night. The rig was a total of 40 feet and was incredible to drive, I just loved it. We trailered the bikes stopping overnight in Walmart carparks (which allowed 2 free nights of camping) lowered the trailer gate, rolled the bikes out for a day trip and back to the RV for a hot dinner and shower each night.

This story is all over the place because now I am going to tell you about how I was already a seasoned RV traveller. In 1996 I flew to the USA by myself, bought a 24ft RV and travelled around for 12 months. After 6 months I parked the RV in storage, backpacked around England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for 6 weeks then flew back, picked up the RV to continue my travels; selling the RV after a total of 12months and flying home. I can't begin to tell you how many tales there would be to share with you from that trip!! Especially the mandatory Friday night pub stops to meet people to party with each weekend.

So I have been to Sturgis - twice; to the 100th Anniversary of Harley Davidson parties in Sydney and Milwaukee; Daytona Beach Bike Week - twice; rallies in more states of America than most people I met there; and been to countless National Parks, Lakes and Mountain ranges. I have seen the longest single drop of water (waterfall) in the northern hemisphere and one day will do the same in the southern hemisphere. You see, I believe that wherever there is a waterfall chances are the countryside will be pretty spectacular and that has proved all too true. My favourite places there would be the southern states where people are always friendly & have an incredible drawl in their speech that I love; the Grand Tetons; Denver & the Rocky Mountains; Montana and South Dakota; Yellowstone & Yosemite (seems I could just keep listing them..)

As you can imagine I have left out huge pieces of information in telling you about my bikes and travels, but hopefully in the process I haven't bored you to death. I have a very diverse lifestyle because I have a high profile job in the IT industry and the things I love to do (apart from biking and travel) range from staying in a cosy cabin with a fireplace in winter, camping any time of the year, catching fresh fish to grill on the bbq; oysters Kilpatrick while watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race on Boxing day; hiking to a waterfall for a picnic lunch; a game of golf (as long as I'm allowed to take a six pack along); staying in a 5 star hotel and lavishing in the day spa; boating or yachting and diving; or just riding with friends to a country pub (oops back to bikes again); so I might as well add that I love overnighters with a great band playing.......and so much more.

When I was asked if I would like to contribute a blog, I don't think Beaker had any idea of how many stories I have already forgotten about let alone how many I could still recall to write about. Looking through my photos to pick out just a few was a challenge in itself. But today I just wanted to give you a summary of who I am and what I do, so that when I write future stories about rides I go on, you have some understanding of where I am coming from.

I currently own two motorcycles. A 2006 Pearl Black Lowrider and a 2005 Pearl White and Pearl Blue Softail Deluxe with white wall tyres, so look out for me on a ride and be sure to say hello. My next ride will be the Dump the Dice Bike Run leaving the Glamorgan Vale Hotel (30 mins from Ipswich, Qld) at 10:30am on Saturday 21st March. If you are coming along be sure to bring your swag or tent, because there is a band playing and free camping available and it will inevitably be a great night.

I’m looking forward to sharing stories of rides with you and also of meeting up on those rides. Enjoy a few of my pics, take care and bye for now. Donna

My 2005 Deluxe

My 2006 Lowrider

The RV

No helmet laws

Sturgis 1996

Camped at Daytona Bikeweek

Riding on Daytona Beach 2004

A quick overnight stay on the way to Sturgis 2003

The worlds highest suspension bridge (1053 ft)

No a good pic to view here, but at the Hog party at the 100th Anniversary in Milwaukee

(no I'm not Hog member but I got myself into that party!!)

Wind blown at Niagara Falls

I think I acquired some extra gear along the way (for a while)

Biketoberfest in Florida

Too many Tequila's in Mexico

The RV I travelled alone in for a year in 1996/97

The trip in the RV (96/97)

I even got to see an Apollo lift off and felt the ground shake!!

'97 at a rally somewhere in the USA

The 650 Suzuki (from what now seems a lifetime ago)

I called this - Tasmania you'll love it.

Donna Joins Up

2009-03-16T05:32:00.005+10:00

As of late I seem to have been unable to get out on the bike much due to various commitments and so I have not been posting as much as I would like - I believe that you've got to keep posting to keep the site interesting. After a discussion I had with a mate, he suggested that I ask a someone else to post on this site - this will provide a bit more variation and a different perspective on riding in south-east Queensland. I asked a lady that I know whether she would be interested in doing so, and she has agreed, which is fantastic! Expect to see a few posts from Donna in the near future. I will not go into too much detail about her - she will introduce herself soon I hope - other than saying that she loves her bikes and her riding.

So stay tuned for some of Donna's posts - I am sure they will make very interesting reading!

Good...As Gold!

2009-03-15T05:10:00.018+10:00

I managed to ride the Good As Gold Poker Run put on by the Hells Angels last weekend, and what a sight it was....over 600 bikes snaking along the road for what would have been at least 2 to 3kms, if not more.

We arrived at their Browns Plains clubhouse about half an hour before take off time - there were a lot of cops sitting at the bottom of the street that leads there, taking pictures and video of all riders who passed them, and I immediately thought that the day was gonna be slow and drawn out, assuming we would be pulled over at some stage for one reason or another. Once at the club we picked up our first couple of cards and then wandered around checking the bikes out. As can be expected on a run like this, there was a lot of top notch machinery on display, but one bike that did catch my eye was a ratted Rocket - I thought that this bike looked the ducks nuts! Whilst wandering around we bumped into a few other mates that we knew were doing the run, and it was good to share a few stories with them.

The call went out and everyone headed to their bikes. What a sound it was - not having ridden with a lot of vee twins for quite a while, I had all but forgotten how fricken loud these things are!! Nothing comes close to the sound of that many bikes thumping down the road, coming at you from all directions. We passed the spot where all those cops had been, but they had all but disappeared. Our first stop was to be the Sundowner Hotel on the Warrego Hwy at Haigslea, heading out to Toowoomba. We weaved our way through back streets/roads towards our destination - one thing that was a surprise for me was the number of cops holding up traffic for us as we passed through intersections and roundabouts. They had obviously been told of the run and were doing their best to keep the bikes together, which was a surprise to many.

This first leg was pretty uneventful - except for a number of 'weekend wannabes' in the pack who you always need to be on the watch for on any poker run. Dodge was telling me later that he was almost cleaned up by some guy who was going way too fast for a corner and managed to come close to hitting a concrete barrier after cutting in between him and the guy in front of him whilst grabbing a fist full of brakes! Lucky! Anyway, I slowly made my way through the pack from the rear to about half way along, steering well clear of these types where I could. Couldn't help but admire some of the nicer bikes as I passed them along the way - pity I couldn't get some action pics. After about 45 minutes we pulled into the Sundowner for a bit of relief from the heat.

After witnessing some poor bastard pull up and drop his Rocket onto it's side due to some soft grass - he did receive assistance with the pick up - I wandered into the pub and ordered a beer. Lots of bikes still pulling in and there was a lineup at the bar already - oh well, gotta expect that I spose! Dodge and I managed to catch up with Grizz, Eddie, Steve, Grasshopper, Donna and a few others from the Social Club for a drink and chat out on the balcony. No need to rush to pick up any cards whilst out on the road either - the remaining cards were to be dealt on our return to the club along with a house card.

From Haigslea we headed for Glamorgan Vale - only a very short distance, but the boys saw fit to take us on a bit of a tour of the farms out this way. Probably took around 40 minutes to arrive there, but it was great seeing so, so many bikes parked around the pub. Inside to line up for another beer and then out the back for a classic gourmet Aussie lunch of snags, onion, bread and a choice of your favorite sauces. Turns out that the bloke who I saw inside serving behind the bar and who had served me my beer had come outside and taken on cooking the barbie - he was flat out, the poor bastard, but doing an excellent job! A few coins into the veterans hat and a good feed was had. The Glamorgan Vale pub is a nice spot - have been there a number of times before but not recently. The place has a bit of character, a great outdoor area out the back beneath the trees, and a feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere.

After an hour or so it was back on the road - I waited and watched as all of the bikes took off, and it was worth it. We then followed the road from the pub back out to the Brisbane Valley Hwy, onto the Warrego Hwy and then the Ipswich Mwy - the dual lane roads made it easier to work my way through the pack and it was good fun, with very little traffic blocking our ride back to the club. I ended up amongst the lead group on arrival back at the clubhouse and headed in for another drink. We were dealt our final two cards and the house card was read out, but I had a shocking hand and there was no way that I was leaving with the 100 cubic inch Revtech v-twin - bugger!

Caught up with everyone once they arrived and we watched old blind Jack give it to his guitar on the stage - he was bloody good. Once he finished up, the prizes were handed out and Grizz picked up some cash on behalf of the Social Club for having the biggest club turn out on the day - this was then donated to charity. Good on ya guys! The next band, Chick Flick, started playing, but I didn't stay much longer, deciding to head home.

Was a great day and I enjoyed myself - the cops were good to us, there were no major dramas on the road and the riding was excellent. Well done to the Hells Angels for putting on another good show!

VIctorian Bush Fire Charity Ride

2009-02-25T04:55:00.002+10:00

A Rip Off??

2009-02-22T18:17:00.017+10:00

Went to the Australian Motorcycle Expo held for the first time down on the Gold Coast - unfortunately my opinion of such shows has hit a new low.

Whilst a few manufacturers made an effort to display their wares, I thought the whole setup was a rip off - not only were they charging bikes the same price as cars to park, but Honda hardly had any presence, with almost no road bikes available to view. Don't get me wrong, it was good to see some bikes that I really do admire in the flesh (Victory being the main one and some of the Jappers) but the whole thing is a circus, just designed to reap maximum cash from the motorcycling public. There were no "bargains" to be had from any of the manufacturers, there were way too many people in the halls and pricing on food and drinks was ridiculous.

So why go, I hear you say! Well, I like to see what is on the market and also check out bikes that I would not otherwise get the opportunity to touch, sit on, feel. There was a time when events like this were put on and there was no entry fee - it was an attempt by the manufacturers to woo potential customers and also provided the chance for bike lovers to view the products available to them. Unfortunately the money grabbing middle man has crawled out from under his rock and jacked up prices on everything, hoping to skim some cash from the motorcycling public!

There were a lot of stalls selling just about everything that a biker would need, however, it just did not have the atmosphere or feeling of a riders get together for the good of riding. It really felt as if everyone was under pressure to cover their costs.

All I and the motorcycling public of Queensland is asking is that the organisers think a little and look at things such as parking, admission fees and food/drink prices - people will come to see the product, but get mighty pissed off when they know that manufacturers are paying a premium to exhibit and yet the customer has to fork out top dollar to get a bottle of water!!! Note to the organisers - wake up dickheads, people will only put up with this kind of crap for so long. No wonder it wasn't making money in Brisbane and had to be moved down the coast!

Oh, and for the record, I reckon half a day in Moss Street is much better value, so to you guys that organised this event, I definitely won't be back! And I am not alone.

Now, some pics....

Australian Road Rider Article

2009-02-19T05:22:00.004+10:00

I have been lucky enough to get one of my stories published in the March/April edition of Australian Road Rider. It is from a ride we did back in January of last year through the Mt Jerusalem National Park in northern New South Wales. The Bear contacted me not long after I posted it on here and said he would like to use it, but I thought that he had forgotten about it. It is amongst a number of stories on riding in New South Wales, and I reckon he has done a good job. If you can, get hold of a copy and let me know what you think!!

Original post here.

Good As Gold

2009-02-11T07:45:00.006+10:00

I don't usually post too much about upcoming poker runs but I thought this one is worth a mention for two reasons....one is the prizes on offer, the second and more important reason is being able to show the law makers of this state that we, as riders, will associate with who ever we want and not let them determine that for us. I plan to be there (if I still have a license....but that's another story).

The Good As Gold Poker Run will be taking place on Saturday March 7 - bikes leaving from 31 Tradelink Dr, Browns Plains at 12:30 sharp. Cash, trophies and prizes for the best, second best and worst hands, complimentary food, drinks, raffles throughout the day and an after party with live music, food and adult entertainment. And get this...first prize is a 100 cube Rev Tech motor with ignition and Mikuni carb and second prize is a Rev Tech 6 speed box - now those are prizes!

Whoops!

2009-02-10T04:46:00.005+10:00

I dropped the GSX for the fist time yesterday morning and I felt like such a knob!

I rode down to the bottom of my street and went to stop at a tee intersection as I made my way to work. There was a truck removing a large waste bin from one of the houses further along the street I was about to turn into, and it caught my attention. As I came to a stop I think I put my foot down a little late - I had been distracted by trying to work out how I was going to get around the truck. Next thing, I was fighting to keep the bike upright but it had gone too far. I managed to get my right leg out from under the bike just before it hit the bitumen! Ouch!

I quickly picked it up (wow, it was easier than I thought) and then noticed that both the truck driver and the guy from the house had watched it all happen! Double ouch!! The guy walked across the street and asked if I was alright - I told him that I was fine, quickly got back on the bike and rode off. I pulled up around the next corner to check the damage - just a few small scratches on the bike and a very dented ego for the rider!

Hell To Pay?

2009-02-05T05:31:00.008+10:00

Things are starting to warm up down in Sydney following the bombing of the Hells Angels clubhouse at Petersham yesterday. Apparently a HA member was quoted as saying "It's going to get worse"....don't think I would want to be living close to any of the clubs down there at the moment!

Read more about it here, but as usual we dunno how much of what the journalists write is true.

What If....?

2009-01-28T21:11:00.010+10:00

I always thought this may happen sometime with the way some people pack their gear onto the back of their vehicles!

Was on my ride from work this arvo after a bloody long day and was looking forward to getting home. I was following a tradie in a van. This guy had a couple of ladders sitting up on top of a rack on his roof and was moving slower that the rest of the traffic, so I moved into the lane next to him to pass. Just after moving out from his lane I watched as one of his smaller ladders started sliding off the back in what seemed to me like slow motion. It hit the road and bounced - I passed it with a couple of feet to spare as it rebounded off the road and up to helmet height. I watched it bounce two more times in my mirror before it slid a bit along the road and stopped smack bang in the middle of the lane. Phew! Luckily there was no one following closely behind him or me.

At the time I didn't think anymore of it - I sped up to him and let him know in no uncertain terms that he had nearly cleaned me up. The guy driving looked half asleep and I think I frightened him a bit, but he did finally pull up a little further down the road. I just kept riding. When I finally reached home I pulled into the garage and remained seated on my bike for a bit, took a deep breath and reflected on how close I had come. What if.....??

Bloody hell, how hard is it to tie your shit down properly if you drive a van or ute?

....and very dangerous for us on bikes!

Ride To Bathurst - Part 1

2009-01-19T17:36:00.017+10:00

Gees I am a slacker, BUT I have finally gotten round to documenting the 5 day ride I did back in early December. So here is the first day on the road....

Brisbane To Bendemeer
Thursday morning was dull and overcast - you knew it was going to rain but it was just a matter of when. I readied the bike and fitted the panniers but made the decision not to wear my wets as the day was already quite warm and I usually end up wetter on the inside. Leaving home at 5:30am I made my way to the planned meeting point at Springwood contemplating the day ahead - a 600km ride to Bendemeer, which was just over half way to our destination of Bathurst for the first official get together of Oz GSX1400 owners. I arrived at Maccas and watched the rain begin to fall lightly as the others slowly rolled in.

All up there were seven bikes riding down from Brisbane - five GSX's, Keith on his Beemer and Nev who had flown over from New Zealand on his rented Beemer. We hit the road just after 6:30 - our planned route was to follow the motorway down to Bangalow where we would turn inland and follow the Bruxner Hwy to Casino then cruising the Summerland Way into Grafton. We had been riding the M1 for only fifteen minutes when the rain started - quite heavy in some patches and not my idea of fun when riding on concrete, but we persisted. Not long after crossing the border it subsided - I was drenched, however I didn't mind too much as it was not cold and I would be dry within the hour - something that I much prefer to sweating it out inside a plastic suit.

We reached the exit for Bangalow and began the ride inland. The single carriageway roads were very busy and this made it a bit of a slog, but we knew it wouldn't be long until the roads were ours again. A couple of the guys needed fuel so we stopped in Lismore to do that and then continued the 30 odd kms westward to Casino. Once there, we took the turn south and the roads were finally ours to ride as we pleased. We followed the Summerland Way into Grafton and in those 100kms I reckon you could have counted the cars we passed on both hands - it felt so good to be out on the bike with minimal traffic. We did pass one cop heading in the opposite direction but we had been given a bit of notice, so luckily nothing came of it. A couple of us would make a break every now and then for a bit of a squirt, but we would then back off to allow the others to catch us. There are no real twisty sections on this road but the big plus is that very few trucks use it and it is hardly ever busy.

We rolled into a sunny Grafton and pulled up to refuel and grab a bite to eat. It was from here that the real fun started. The road running from Grafton to Ebor is I believe one of the great Aussie bike roads, however you rarely see much written about it. We headed off along this road and after a rather mundane 20 minutes or so, Keith made a break on his Beemer. Now, as you may know, I am not the type to watch something like this and not react, so I took off after him. For the next 45 minutes we both experienced what I would describe as two wheeled heaven - the thrill of riding a great road with long straights followed by lots of tight mountainous twisties and then back onto another straight only to do it again and again and again whilst close to your limit. It really was magic being able to test myself and the GSX to the fullest. For most of this stretch, the road surface was good and the traffic was sparse, adding to the thrill. We continued this all the way into Ebor (about half way to Armidale) on dry roads, however, just as we got there the rain returned. The weather was on our side at last!! Whilst waiting for the others to arrive I reckon Keith and I talked about every little bit of that road - what a high.

We all lunched at the cafe at Ebor and once the rain had stopped, continued the ride. In my opinion, this part of the road is not quite as exhilarating as the first half because it opens up with more straights and not as many twisty sections. For this part we stuck together, enjoying the expansive plains and rocky terrain bordering the road heading to Armidale. Once there, we refuelled and then continued, following the busy New England Hwy south to our destinations for the evening. There were plenty of trucks and cars on this final 60kms, so it was a very easy going stretch, trying to maintain concentration and all the while wary of our friends in the candy cars bearing radars. We pulled into the carpark of the Bendemeer Hotel at around 4pm.

The Bendemeer Hotel is a fantastic place if you are ever out this way. It is a very biker friendly place and even provides you with an undercover lockup park for your bike, as long as you let em know your coming. We finally managed to sort our rooms (which were fantastic for the price), put our bikes to bed, feed ourselves and then indulge in a few drinks on the wide open verandahs overlooking the creek just as a thunderstorm rolled on in. Tomorrow is another day on the road, but I was still buzzing from today - life doesn't get much better than this does it?

A wet start

Lunch at Ebor

Group shot in Armidale

The room I had...fantastic!

Lock up parking for the bikes

Bendemeer Hotel

Who Said You Can't Go Fishin' On A Bike???

2009-01-03T17:28:00.003+10:00

Spotted this guy at a fuel stop just outside of Gympie today on our way back from our camping trip to Inskip. Was kind of freaky seeing a guy with his missus in the sidecar towing a tinny!! He told me that he had been up to Bundaberg and wanted to get some fishing in, so towed his boat up behind the bike. Good on him!!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T18:02:00.009+10:00

Well, I won't be around much for the next couple of weeks - looking forward to a couple of weeks camping on the beach!! Would like to wish all readers a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year - most importantly, stay safe!

GSX1400.org Calendars On Sale

2008-12-08T08:07:00.011+10:00

After a slight delay we have finally released the 2009 GSX1400.org Calendars for sale. Check the example pic out below, and if you think you would like to purchase one, then please contact me for further details.

By the way, if you like what you see and you know of anyone looking for assistance in designing a website, calendar or anything Photoshop related, please contact me.