Ian Payne CBR900 Wayne Grant ZX9R

Jack Youdan Triumph 900 Geoff Jones ZZR600

It was one of those mornings where you could understand why someone would choose to stay in bed. Although not wet (yet) it was certainly very cold. As I headed for KBCP I thought to myself there is no way other riders will be there to greet me. As expected I was right. It was a very lonely place to be on a Sunday morning. The ride to Whittlesea was equally uneventfully. With weather like this there is a huge incentive to keep your speed down as the only things that seems to occur as you twist the throttle is a slow but steady lack of feeling in one’s fingers. Although they were cold they did not sting. When that happens the body is saying stop until normal circulation has been resumed and you may then continue.

Whittlesea was looking as lonely as KBCP with only myself and the girl working the convenience store of the Mobil service station. It was a good time to grab a coffee, check tire pressures etc. I figured I had all morning as nobody would show. The ride itself, however, was planned and I was prepared, having toured the journey the previous weekend in the car. In the car? I here you say. However, it should be noted that during the pre-ride it snowed at Trentham. During the pre-ride I thought I was very smart to drive rather than ride the anticipated roads.

Well just when you thought the ride would not happen Jack Youdan turns up just to prove he is an all weather rider. No one could accuse anyone who was willing to participate as anything but. Not far behind were Geoff Jones and Ian. The president always leads by example. After addressing all the riders we collectively thought that as it is a short ride we would remain flexible enough to make it even shorter although Geoff had not ridden for over a month and was keen to ride regardless.

So we headed off on the interesting roads around this area. They took us to Wallan, Romsey, Lancefield, and Pyalong, with lunch at Kyneton. It turned out to be a quick ride because with a small group there is very little time lost corner marking. On this ride I don’t think we stopped once at any corners until lunch. Geoff reminded me of his age stating that the bladder gets less tolerant as one gets older, and, when you need to go, you really must go. Anyway, Geoff manage to reach Kyneton where we enjoyed a good (as in hot, but very bad, as in nutrition) lunch. Kyneton is nestled between both the Calder and Western Highways so getting home is always going to be fairly quick and direct, although a dull ride.

I had been riding quicker than I normally would as a lead rider, thinking, if I was really clever, I would be half a chance to make it to the MGC before the first bounce, 2.15 pm. So with that as an incentive, and believing my beloved Kangaroos would end Essendons winning streak, Ian and myself sat on a good speed aiming for the heart of town. Ian made good use of the new Bolte Bridge while I headed straight for the best football ground in Oz. After the first quarter with Essendon on 47 and North having yet to score I wondered why I bothered.

The ride certainly turned out to be the highlight of the day, and, although I have travelled many of the roads before, I still thoroughly enjoy them, particularly for the lack of cars. A very successful ride with no incidents other than cold hands. Thanks to Jack, Ian and Geoff for proving the MTCV is not a fair weather club.

Regards,

Wayne Grant (Kawasaki ZX900)