Cruisin' Down Under

Number 7

2010-03-11T18:56:00.004+10:00

Barry Sheene passed away on Monday 10 March 2003, aged 52. He was a great bloke and a champion rider, winning the 1976/1977 500cc world championship wearing his cherished number 7. In 1987 he swapped his native England for Oz and went on to become a highly respected motor racing commentator on Australian television.

With it being 7 years since his passing I thought it appropriate that I post a couple of videos in his memory - and if you are in Sydney, don’t forget to check out the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed 3-4 April 2010 at Eastern Creek.

2010 GSX1400.org Calendars

2009-12-18T04:58:00.005+10:00

These great quality A3 sized calendars are now on sale - if you want to get hold of one, send me an email and I will advise you of the ordering procedure.

How Long Has It Been?

2009-12-16T21:18:00.016+10:00

Hey there, sorry I haven't written anything of late, I guess the summer weather tends to lead to more motorcycling and less blogging. And WoW isn't summer Hot!

It was a real struggle riding on the Toy Ride last Saturday, but seeing so many people (especially the children and oldies) getting such a thrill out of watching the passing parade and then being able to donate money and a special toy to some needy children made it very worthwhile. Apparently there were around 800 bikes in the parade with the town’s people lining the roads all the way to cheer us on and hand over toys for donation. It actually gave me goose bumps seeing the joy it bought to people all braving a stinking hot day for a good cause. It’s always good to catch up with friends on the ride and I even made some nice new friends.

That was one of the most sedate rides I've been on for a while, so naturally I have tales of a few other rides that had the revs up higher. Let me think....working my way back...

There was a ride the prior Saturday with the Glamorgan Vale riders which went from the pub, down the motorway, to the Tumbulgum Hotel for lunch. Great catching up with friends even though we managed to loose one rider on the way. Apparently after he stopped trying to find us he had quite a good day. It's a wonder we didn't loose more from the ride because Rusty missed a turn that should have had us going back through the Numinbah Valley past Natural Arch, but instead we headed out towards Nimbin. Kyogle Road from Murwillumbah is great to ride, so before too long we were 70ks south at Kyogle with a smile on our faces, only to realise it was getting late and we were about 3 hours from home. Oh well, it was a great ride and possibly even better from then on, riding the Mt Lindsay Highway over the boarder ranges then the Rathdowney-Boonah Road - fantastic at high speed! We rode hard and fast all day and I just loved it.

One of our group had a spill which put a bit of a damper on the day though. He took a corner a bit too fast and ended up just missing a tree and was thrown into a barbed wire fence. A driver in a 4WD took him to hospital while a couple of us arranged to get his bike back to town. The bike was rideable only having a small scratch and a bent forward control gear change rod, and thankfully our mate wasn't in too bad a way. I guess we like to think positive and say he was lucky it could have been much worse. He ended up with 80 stitches in his upper arm and some micro surgery on his finger to fix a bit of tendon damage, but he's in good spirits and happy that the insurance company came to the party with a new jacket and fixed his bike.

I went to the Imbil Rally a few weeks back. That rally is on my must do list; it was excellent. I met up with new and old friends, danced and partied till the wee hours and had a great ride to and from Imbil through Kenilworth, Melany, Kilcoy and Esk. There is only a DJ playing music, but everyone has a great time and its one of the few runs not put on by a patch club where there are a high percentage of Harleys. It’s nice to get there early and relax during the day with a cold drink and for those a little competitive, there is a gymkhana in the afternoon that is pretty entertaining.

I took a 2010 model FatBoy Lo out for a test ride recently too, thinking it might be my next new bike, but that's not going to happen. I didn't like the riding position and the fact that I scraped the running boards half a dozen times on a ride around town. Just imagine what it would be like on some windy roads. Oh well, it just wasn't meant to be no matter how much I liked that customised denim black beauty.

Back in September I went on an overnighter to Bundaberg with a group of 12 bikes; about 420 kms each way. A friend of ours is working in a pub up there, so what better excuse for a ride and party night. And party we did! I still laugh when I look back at the videos of people dancing (and staggering) on the bar. A great bunch of people and such a good laugh; it was one of the best overnighters I've been on in a long time. No mishaps and excellent riding both ways; can't beat that.

I know there are countless other rides that I have been on since I last wrote a blog, but hey, you just should have been there. As usual I forgot to pull out my camera most of the time, but I'm sure I can rustle up some pics from somewhere!

Safe riding over the silly season everyone! Take care and don't risk drinking and riding because they'll be out in force. I'll be relaxing by a spa/pool with a cocktail at a five star resort on the Gold Coast for a week over new year's but am planning to take an extra day off work the day before Australia Day and to make the most of a four day weekend and some twisters in Northern NSW. Let me know by email if you're interested in joining in.

Happy New Year Catch you in 2010 Cheers Donna

Everybody Hurts....

2009-12-15T07:14:00.002+10:00

Thought this would be appropriate given the time of year - warning, some of it is graphic, but it is meant to be!

Stay safe....and just think a little.

Cindy's Ankle

2009-10-07T19:39:00.010+10:00

Been a while hasn’t it!! I have been riding a bit, just nothing that I have found exciting enough to write about. The daily commute and a few short stints on the odd weekend have been the extent of my riding since getting my license back. That changed a little over the weekend.

I recently changed jobs – at my previous job I worked with Cindy, a lady whom owns a Triumph Daytona 675. She really didn’t seem to ride it that much and I was always on at her about coming out for a day on the road. After much harassment on my part, we finally arranged to do so last Saturday.

I was up early and headed cross-town to Cindy’s place at Springfield. The morning was overcast but the forecast was for a warm sunny day. I got there in just over 45 minutes and shared a coffee with her before heading off for a trip up to Tamborine and Eagle Heights for lunch. Always find it refreshing riding up in the mountains on a warm day.

We took the road from Springfield to the Mt Lindsay Hwy at a steady pace, allowing Cindy to find her feet again. Was a bit slow, but didn't really worry me that much. Onto the highway and then turning off not too far down to head towards Tamborine. Was great to get away from the traffic. The roads were good, the day was nice - not much more you could ask for. We reached the Logan to Tamborine strip and picked the pace up a little, finally pulling up for a break out the front of the Bearded Dragon. I let Cindy know that I would probably take off a bit from here but meet her at the top again.

If you haven't ridden it lately, the road up the mountain is currently being resurfaced. Up to about the half way mark the black stuff is new and smooth as, but then reverts back to the original crap that used to cover this climb all the way from the bottom - filled potholes and really bad camber in a lot of spots have long been it's weakness. It will be a fantastic bit of road once they finish the resurfacing and you pick your times to ride it. Traffic was quite heavy when we rode it so I was forced to use all of the road, but gees, the new bit is good.

I reached the top, pulled up and waited for a short while until Cindy was in my mirrors again. We then continued through Tamborine Village and pulled into the Eagle Heights pub for a few drinks. After a couple of hours we headed off again, this time heading towards the St Bernards pub to check out that huge dog!! We stopped at the info centre so Cindy could grab a few brochures about accomodation up on top of the mountain. Once done we mounted up and were about to hit the road when Cindy dropped her Daytona!

We had parked the bikes on a bit of a hill and as she was just about to take off she went to put her foot down but picked the wrong side. She overbalanaced and the bike went down, trapping her right leg underneath. I got off mine and lifted the bike off her but she was in pain, serious pain. An older couple who witnessed the fall rang an ambulance and stayed with us until it arrived - we sat and waited, watching a lot of other bikes just ride on past. I was pissed off that no other biker pulled up to see if all was ok - I would have for sure. Anyway, the ambos arrived and had a look at what had happened. They decided to cut her boot off and man, I was amazed at how swollen her ankle had become. She had obviously broken it after taking the full weight of her bike as it fell.

The ambos carted Cindy off to Logan Hospital and I found a place to store her bike. I then headed down (whoa, it was a great ride down!!!) to see how things turned out. On arriving at the hospital I was amazed to see how big her ankle had become. I didn't stay too long as she had a friend with her, but rang her later on and she confirmed that it was smashed. She is still in hospital and has already had one operation, with another on the cards once the swelling goes down.

Her bike was not damaged too much with just a couple of scratches on the fairing. Her ankle actually saved the bike, however, it bore the full weight. I felt so bad afterwards, but I do understand I wasn't responsible for what happened. It is just such a pity that we parked on that hill. Fortunately it was a zero speed accident and she will recover eventually, although with some inconvenience.

Take it easy out there people - something this simple can be very painful and very inconvenient.

Under (re)construction!!

We Are Not Bugs....

2009-09-12T14:08:00.002+10:00

Being Prepared...

2009-08-09T17:37:00.004+10:00

Was out on the roads south of Brisbane again yesterday after spending the previous weekend down there to celebrate my license return. Rode with a mate of mine and we put quite a few more miles on the bikes. Over Tamborine, down the Numinbah, Burringbar to Brunwick Heads for a fantastic feed, then headed back via Tomewin Road and up the drag strip they call the M1. Weather was perfect with not too much traffic and not one candy car in sight all day. Dropped into my mates place for him to unload some gear and we then both headed back to my place.

We were on the downhill stretch coming up to a set of traffic lights, and then IT happened. A young girl driving a Hyundai decides to turn across in front of me. My first thought was 'Oh shit, I AM GONE'. I deliberately kept away from the front brakes as there were too many white lines and I would prefer to go into rather than under her car, if I had a choice. Locked up the rear brake - it slowed me just enough and as the rear end started to fishtail it pointed the bike in the right direction and I somehow managed to clear the rear of her car by no more than six inches. Scared the crap out of me. I pulled up a little further down the road with my mate and he told me that I did a good job - I really didn't care if I did a shit job, as long as I missed her. I was doing the speed limit, it was starting to get dark and I thought I was visible, but some people just seem to have no speed/distance perception. I was really pissed off at this young chick, but after thinking about it, I am just glad that she didn't decide to yank the brakes on in the middle of the intersection, otherwise I would either be in a hospital bed or the morgue now. I really don't know how I didn't hit her.

After further reflection today, I realised that I was more at fault. I was very, very lucky and I reckon when you are forced into survival mode, you do what comes naturally. Doesn't matter how good you think you are or what you have been taught, the brain just takes over - instinct kicks in. The bottom line is I was not riding defensively, not even thinking this kind of thing would happen to me, when in reality, that is what we should all be doing - my own fault more so than hers. The one thing I have learnt is that when coming up to lights just be prepared for this kind action from the car waiting to turn.

A very good lesson for me, and one I will not forget in a hurry.

Vision From New Zealand

2009-08-05T05:25:00.004+10:00

One of the fellas from NZ on the GSX1400.org posted this video a day or two ago. Does a great job of capturing the feeling of what it is like to ride. Great example of using different camera angles too.

A Handy Website To Bookmark...

2009-07-06T19:41:00.004+10:00

I stumbled across this website the other day and thought it may be of use to other riders. Scott Cooper offers some interesting advice should you ever be pulled over for an alleged speeding offence as well as quoting some of the police forces own guidelines regarding the use of speed detection devices, and how they ignore these at times.

Have a read - Speeding Fine Consultants - this kind of info my be useful to you some day!!

Tassie Touring Suggestions

2009-06-29T01:08:00.003+10:00

It's been a very long time since I toured Tassie but the memories are all good ones. The trip over there was just as much fun as the island was. I went to a big rally there and met lots of people so I suggest you check out what rallies are on. Be aware that the Hog Club have their rally on 6-8 November, so it will be busy down there at that time.

I had 6 weeks touring around, so I guess if you only have a couple of weeks you will have to be a little selective. There are some absolutely excellent little pubs, like The Pub In The Paddock and The Worst Little Pub On the East Coast.

My advise would be to get a copy of the Australian Motorcycle Atlas which has pretty much all the best rides. I stayed in backpacker lodges, peoples places, beside rivers and bays, in farmers paddocks, and at pubs. I'd suggest you take a small tent as well as your sway because I remember getting caught out for a couple of days in the rain (with a cask of port).

As for the Nullabour, yep I've done that too. There was a heat wave the day I left and I stopped at the first pub I came to and met up with a couple of guys on bikes and another couple trailering their bike whom I ended up travelling with all the way across. We had other bikes join up with us and every fuel stop turned into a bar stop and after overtaking road trains we would stop on the side of the road with a six pack and watch them all pass up by again.

I had an excellent time at Koolgardi where we happened upon a desert bike race and a rock drillers competition and managed to get ourselves free tickets to the rock drillers caberet that night. We got so drunk and were the only ones dressed in jeans (the ladies had lurex dresses on) but we had them all up dancing with us before long. We totally appreciated the smorgasbord after eating baked beans etc at campside stops for days in a row.

If you are going to camp on the side of the road along the way take a ground sheet as there are lots of prickly grass seeds that will haunt you for years to come otherwise.

We also made it to Norseman in time to meet up with a big group of fishermen staying there the night, who partied on after the bar was closed as the publicans guests and included us in their free drinks.

Needless to say, I recall all the good bits of that trip, but I do remember how long and ... long it was. Make sure you have a small esky with you; a lambs wool cover for your seat and a few spare parts. I ended up with a paper clip holding my chain together because the link kept coming off and even when I put a new link in with a surclip, it came out too. I actually rode around Perth for a while before I remembered to go get it fixed.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment, if I have any more wonderful recolections about the ride I'll let you know.

Cheers Donna

Club Rides

2009-06-29T00:10:00.006+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!!!

2009-06-13T01:18:00.010+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

2009-05-03T13:27:00.012+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

2009-03-24T13:15:00.027+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....

2009-03-16T21:08:00.047+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