ZX900 Wayne Grant (half leader) ZZR250 Louise XY792 1^st ride

ZXR250 Ben Warden (half leader) YZF750 Craig Morley

TL1000 Greg Hales YZF1000 Enzo Cunico

XTZ660 Les Leahy (rear rider) R1 Max 1^st ride

XTZ660 Ian and Cherrie Handforth CB250 Steve White 1^st ride

ZZR600 Geoff Jones

You couldn’t win the economy ride prize if you weren’t a member, and with $50 up for grabs a powerful incentive, Enzo Cunico and Ian Handforth rejoined there and then. Similarly, you can’t win the Economy Ride if your bike isn’t working. Enzo, Wayne and Geoff had done some work to their machines in the preceding weeks to get mobile:

Enzo was back, finally getting to the bottom of his non-functioning YZF1000. Three hundred and fifty dollars spent at Stafford Yamaha produced the conclusion that the bike needed an engine rebuild costing $2,500. A second opinion saw carburetor work (needles sticking due to prolonged period off road?) and a cracked stator pick-up coil identified as possible problems, the rectification of which saw the beast up and running.

Wayne had the normally reliable ZX900 back firing on all cylinders once the dud Nippodenso spark plug was diagnosed and replaced. He was forced to leave the ride a couple of weeks ago.

Geoff’s ZZR600 was also back and in better than ever working order. It had been running roughly, maybe on three cylinders, a month or two back. At 70,000 km Kawasakis need a fuel pump, the internal points action switch wearing out. A new pump and a dose of metho and all was fixed.

Our designated leader, Darren Hosking, was unavailable to lead due to work commitments — he was in Adelaide. Wayne stepped into the breach. Thanks Wayne.

Whittlesea saw 11 bikes and 12 people front the starter. New riders Max, Louise and Steven were welcomed to the ride. Craig and I figured Louise’s tank was not really full, so gentleman Craig put in another 3 litres (or about 75 km worth!). Enzo and Max topped up as well. The deal was to start full, ride a bit, and fill up again. The person who put the least amount of fuel in their bike’s tank, given that everyone rode the same distance, would have the best economy. Sounds easy. But not when our tried and true corner marking system blows up.

Things started to go astray pretty early. Wayne had noted in the pre-ride spiel we would be passing through Wallan and Romsey and stopping at Pyalong for morning tea. We turned right at the end of the Whittlesea-Wallan Rd instead of left, and headed for Wandong. I surmised a change in route through Broadford, Glenaroua, and Pyalong. Grouse, I thought. At Wandong we stayed on the main drag reaching the Northern Highway on the outskirts of Kilmore where Craig and Greg were corner marking. We had travelled 30 km. It didn’t feel right, but there were the corner markers.

The long drone up the Northern Highway began. Kilmore and then Pyalong, our supposed stop, came and went. Sitting on 110 km/h saw 6 bikes pack up behind me. We had only done 55 km in total when we went through Pyalong, and I figured Wayne must have pressed on. But I was now worried. Next stop Heathcote, with many opportunities to veer off the highway and head west, none of which had any signs of life. "If in doubt go straight ahead" is the rule, and so we did. At Heathcote we had done 86 km and there was no sign of our leader, so I called a halt. Next stop was Bendigo if we kept this up. This much straight road, let alone police patrolled highway, was out of character with Wayne’s leading style. We had missed a corner marker somewhere. And where was the rear rider, Les?

The fab 8 stopped for morning tea and public conveniences. It was freezing, especially droning along the cornerless highway requiring no physical work. Louise was surprised at the amount of boring road we do, thinking that was the way we normally rode. She was quickly straightened out.

Neither Optus or Telstra offered any mobile coverage so contacting Wayne by phone was to prove difficult. New rider Max noted that he had seen which way Wayne had gone — back in Kilmore! Hmm. It appears he had parked too far around the corner, saw us all go by, so joined with us again!

So, the plan was to make our way to Castlemaine, and hopefully, join up with the others. Ian and Cherrie took up station at the rear while I proceeded to navigate westwards by feel. We were off the map. It was a relief to get off the highway and speeds rose accordingly. It was an interesting and scenic ride through undulating, volcanic hill country, the occasional bump thrown in to remind us we were on secondary roads. Mia Mia and Redesdale came and went. Across to Sutton Grange and down to Chewton through gold mining country, the road twisting this way and that, gravelly hillocks the norm. Castlemaine was reached after 60 km making a total of 148 km from Whittlesea according to my odometer — a genuine 142 km would be a more realistic figure given than the speedo is at least 4% high.

We cruised the streets of Castlemaine in search of an open service station, settling on the same one we have used in the past. The seven of us filled up and figures were duly noted. Ten minutes later the rest of the gang rolled in — Wayne the leader, Craig, Greg Hales, and rear man Les Leahy.

It turned out that Wayne had travelled all the way to Lancefield (22 km) before realising that no-one was coming. He backtracked to Kilmore and up to Pyalong. In the interim, Craig and Greg had stopped at Pyalong, and waited for Les to figure out where the leader and rest of the ride were. While doing that, Wayne returned. Together they rightly worked out that somehow the rest of the ride had missed the turnoff and were still heading blindly north, without a leader or rear rider. Les described it as the most bizarre corner making stuff-up he had experienced. Usually the ride splits in two, but this time we managed to separate the bulk of the ride from the lead and rear riders. Most unusual. The mini-ride set off in pursuit.

Craig and Greg swapped bikes. Up until this stage Greg had excellent fuel economy, having lain prone on the tank for much of the time. Craig mono-ed in first, second, and third gears as he took off, and then proceeded at a rapid rate, Greg barely able to keep up. Suffice to say that Greg’s good work, economy wise, was undone. They proceeded to Heathcote, by which time of course, we had left. They continued on, coincidentally following the identical route to Castlemaine. Economy figures were hence comparable, except Wayne who had travelled an extra 44 km according to the map. The figures are in order of most economical:

Steve White 6.17 litres (CB250) and most frugal, Louise 6.31 (ZZR250), Max 7.01 (R1), Ben 7.27 (ZXR750), Greg 7.59 (TL1000), Enzo 8.35 (YZF1000), Ian and Cherrie 8.24 (XTZ660), Geoff 8.60 (ZZR600), and surprise, surprise Craig 9.10 litres (YZF750) and last. Wayne’s reading was not recorded. Les chose not to fill up, thinking he hadn’t much of a show after attempting to keep pace with the bigger bikes. Of course he did not need fuel; who wants 22 litres between your legs, given a choice. With 20/20 hindsight, and as my nominated favourite back at Whittlesea, he probably would have clinched it. We’ll never know.

As Steve, Loise and Max were non-members I declared myself the winner, which was as big a shock to me as everyone else. Ideas of good economy were furthermost from my mind as we wended our way across from Heathcote, let alone with an engine with 130,000 km on it.

Lunch was consumed in the main street. At the suggestion of the milkbar or fish and chip shop being about the only options, Louise (the vocal one) fired up, incredulous that we would stoop so low. She had been giving us heaps right from Wayne’s morning spiel at Whittlesea, doling out directions and opinions at every opportunity. She disagreed with the corner marking system for a start. Up front and mildly in your face in a humorous way. By the end of the day she was telling me how to put ear plugs in! And of course, she wouldn’t give us her surname, in case of what we might do with the information.

Half an hour later I received a call on the mobile from Louise — she was in a restaurant and wanted to know what time we were leaving! Turns out she is vegetarian, and the milkbar or fish and chip shop weren’t that attractive. Two pm we were scheduled to leave. She just made it.

Wayne suggested that we take the Midland Highway down to Daylesford and work our way back home through Woodend, Romsey and Wallan. Geoff suggested there were safer alternatives, and that 50 km of highway to Heathcote was enough. There was a murmur of agreement. I volunteered to lead.

Back to Chewton — whoops, cops in 60 km/h zone who immediately dived off into the bushes as I went past, hoping to snag a bikie. All survived. South to Fryers Town, Vaughan and Guildford. At a particularly tricky, come-up-on-you-fast Y junction, I glanced in my mirrors to see a cloud of blue smoke pouring off Enzo’s rear tyre. Geoff headed straight to keep out of trouble. No harm done. The troops were certainly more willing on the good roads.

Just out of Guildford we turned right and up the hill, my memory serving me correctly that this was a good road, heading for Newstead. I overshot the Daylesford turnoff and back tracked, but not before 5 or 6 others had coming flying by. Down through Franklinford and Hepburn Springs to Daylesford where we turned east to Trentham.

At the Trentham — Tylden turnoff Louise came buzzing by, passing the leader, no doubt distracted by the local constabulary completing the finishing touches to his paper work for a hapless local. I set off in warm pursuit, following her for the next 20 kms, content for her to act as a snow plow clearing the way ahead. She was going faster than I wanted to go on this particularly risky road. Belting through Tylden she put 500 metres on me. Doesn’t she know the cop hides under the servo shelter? Just after the dodgy railway crossing on the outskirts of Woodend I nipped past and regained control. We stopped at the corner bakery, parking willy nilly on the footpath. Geoff headed for home. The weather was looking threatening so soon enough we donned the geared and headed for the hills.

Up Mt Macedon and down Straws Lane, dodging the tourists trying to roll uphill. (It is an optical illusion, nothing more.) Romsey and Wallan across the series of valleys, steep downhill, followed by steep uphill. Craig had requested the Eden park twisties. At the turnoff Enzo peeled off and headed for Epping and home. It had started to rain and very cold. We regrouped at Whittlesea, after a long and eventful day.

Craig had had a bit of a lose in the twisties, which considering the state of his tyres was not surprising. I suggested he had better change them for next week’s Gippsland epic, which he duly ignored. We bade our farewells and headed home. Thanks to Les and Ian for rear riding, and to Wayne’s attempt at leading. Given that no-one follows you, it gets a bit awkward leading. Plenty of kilometres. Everyone had fun, except maybe Steve who’s bike barely managed 100 km/h all day.

Ben Warden (Kawasaki ZXR750)

p.s. Greg Hales’ TL lost all damping of the rear shock part way through the ride. Suffice to say he had a most exciting ride for the rest of the day, particularly on the bumpier sections. It turned out that one of two mounting bolts on the remote damper vibrated out, stripping the thread. Suzuki replaced the frame!