Trafalgar via Hill End Sunday 18^th February, 2007

Ben Warden (leader)	Honda CBR954	Cameron Stevens	Suzuki GSXR1000
Geoff Jones (rear rider)	Yamaha R1	Lyn Duncan	Suzuki GSXR1000
Peter Hille (1^st ride)	KTM 640		5 bikes, 5 riders

Thirty-eight degrees Saturday, 38 forecast Sunday, 10 days till autumn. What's going on? Gippsland may be a good place to escape the heat: green hills, clear air at higher altitude, cows grazing, milk tankers to dodge, a Ben’s special treat, hunting that perfect sweeper. Reality check reveals Gippsland in global warmed mode; bloody hot mate.

Yarra Glen for 10am kick-off saw above motley crew assembled. First stop scheduled at Drouin after approximately 120 km so after a brief pre-ride spiel we depart.

Old Healesville Road, running closed up as we are only 5 when something decides to part company with Peter's KTM and hits the road in front of the R1's rather tired Pilot Power. Do the U turn and pick up a surprisingly in-tact GPS thingy. Catch up with Peter in Healesville and do the hand over. No sign of cooler air as yet, so running with the visor open seems the way to cope. Healesville to Launching Place via Don Valley and on to the Noojee Road. Some cooler air around the Ada Tree Road turn off. Into the tight stuff after Powelltown and then onto the more open going to the Nayook turn off, Cameron corner marking again. Some concerns with ZX9 rider two-up with child pillion pulling monos everywhere.

Through to Neerim South via the other Neerims, pick up the loop around Crossover and enter Drouin via Buln Buln and Brandy Creek Roads. Park in the shade after filling up the R1. Talk the talk and join Ben for a mainly salad roll and ginger beer. Big mistake as I was sowing the seeds of a dehydration problem that surfaced later in the day.

Cameron has been trying to get a problem with his K6 sorted out but seems to be getting the run around from Suzuki who have changed the components that may have caused the immobiliser to malfunction but the fault is still part of the Suzy ownership experience. I detect some frustration building. "Lemon Legislation" as in the USA is something that Cameron would like to see on the Australian scene.  It seems that Lynn's GSXR has also been playing coy at start up time, running the battery down attempting to start on some attempts. No issues with Ben's ever reliable CBR and, apart from having an automatic oil change feature, the R1 rolls on.  KTMs win the Paris-Dakar; enough said.

A longer loop down into an unusually hot Gippsland begins. Through Lardner, Warragul-Korumburra Road and Ranceby. Take the Arawata turn and onto the dirt section to Fairbank. Dust, heat, corrugations, the road is as hard as rock and I feel every bump. The KTM floats over the lot and is well suited to the Dakar-like conditions. Peter and Lynn are riding with Camel Back water containers strapped on; good move as it turned out.

Regroup and visor clean at the Mt Eccles road and then turn north to the bitumen part of the Grand Ridge Road at Hallston, through Allambee South and Mirboo North. Work load up as the roads demand full attention, sections of tar melting and adding to that squirming from the rear as my bargain Metzler M1 self destructs.

Thorpdale sweepers come and go; love that section and at least it’s dry today (is it ever!). Right turn in Thorpdale and some tight stuff to Narracan and Coalville where we take a break as Cameron is getting very low on fuel. I pull up and have a battle to get off the bike. Knackered is putting it mildly. Some reading up on dehydration confirms my symptoms. Lack of fluid intake and the heat have done the damage. Not far to Moe, so we move on. Ben and Peter head to the bakery. Cameron, Lynn and I go to the closest servo and fuel up. I am in slow motion and not thinking clearly as I grab a bottle of "V" energy drink, thinking it is energy I need.  After some time sitting by the bikes at the fuel pump we join Ben and Peter and collapse on the footpath outside the shops.  More water taken. I should have bought 1 litre bottles instead of 600ml.

After a long break we leave Moe heading North. Peter and Lynn continue straight ahead for Walhalla and Stratford while Ben, Cameron and I take the Willow Grove road to Noojee. Still not functioning well, I forget to do up my helmet strap and stop to correct, losing touch with the remaining pair. The R1 is feeling so rough I start to think my suspension has locked up. No energy in my legs due to dehydration, means I am slumped on the bike and copping all the road shocks in my backside. It is going to be a long ride home to Gisborne.

At Powelltown we take another break, talk some more about EXUP valve hassles. Even though Ben necks a Powerade, I still do not drink enough. Cameron leaves at Launching place and I follow Ben to  Diamond Creek and fuel up for the run  home.

A good aid to my state of health is an oncoming police radar on the Donnybrook road where I would normally be in "Home Soon" mode. We pass at an indicated 104k; no brake lights in the mirror today. I stop at the Shell on the Hume and grab more water, and again at Clarkefield in sight of Mount Macedon for another bottle of water. Get home, right hand starting to cramp up. Off with the gear, collapse into a chair and drink. Global Warming is here. Camel Back now high on my wish list.

Thanks to Ben for the ride. Good to catch up with Cameron, Lynn and Peter. Sorry about the weather. At least I was not slowing the ride to take a slash.

Geoff Jones