Reefton Spur               September 29th 2002

 

Ian Payne CBR Fireblade                     Rob Langer BMW 1150GS

Ben Warden CBR Fireblade                 Mark Easterbrook Ducati 750SS

Rhys Williams ZX9R

 

Arriving at Yarra Glen around 10am, I was welcomed by Ron Johnson sitting with Mark Easterbrook. Ron informed us he wouldn't be coming on the ride and was just dropping off the emergency kit. The sky was a little cloudy and it was pretty much a winters day. Ben turned up, followed by Ian and Rob making the grand total of five riders for the day.

           

Unfortunately Dave Ward had injured his knee in an accident on his dirt bike the day before, and wouldn't be able to lead the day’s ride. Being the kind of guy he is, Ben agreed to lead the ride, and by 10:15 am we were on our way, with Mark our rear rider.

 

It would be a pretty standard route: up Chum Creek Road and back down Myers Creek Road to Healesville. I had a brand new Pilot on the rear and was wondering if this was the right time to scrub it in. The roads were wet and there was a fair bit of debris from trees on the road.

 

Across to Warburton, and a quick break, a bite to eat and three of the largest café lattes I've ever seen….more like milk shakes, as Rob commented.

 

We decided to get going after about half an hour and headed up the Woods Point road which was nice and dry, and on to the Reefton Spur. With only a few bikes, the ride was easy, as corner marking only required slowing down rather than stopping for a few minutes at a time. The traffic was pretty light, for a Sunday, and the pace was, shall we say, a fair clip.

 

Up the Reefton in a procession and as fast as the conditions would allow considering the bark and wet patches on the road. It was a bit like 'spot the safe patch'. At the top we continued on past Lake Mountain, (snow still on the roadside) and on to Marysville where we kept on the move back towards Healesville.

 

The sun had come out and it was a really pleasant cruise down to the Black Spur where we had a fantastic blast through with very little traffic. With less than a minute between us all day, the ride was over quite quickly. It was nice just to be able to ride with no stoppages.

 

The ride broke up at Healesville around 1:30 pm, a really enjoyable day. Thanks to Ben for leading and Mark for the rear rider duties.

 

Rhys Williams (Kawasaki ZX9R)

 

 

My bike was sliding around a bit towards the end of the Reefton, as if the tyre had gone off. I figured the roads were wet/dry and there was a bit of bark on the road and I was probably sliding on it. And I was giving it a bit of stick … though the front was sticking like glue. Then I thought, maybe the rear shock has gone off. Maybe it is time to re-oil it.  Later on across the Black Spur, hammering along, the rear moved a few times, and I thought, what with all the bumps, there was probably a bit of gravel, and hence the occasional skip, slip, slide. Then it occurred to me that the rear tyre pressure could be low. Of course that thought was short lived in the excitement of an almost clear Black Spur. And then the ride was over. The ride home was uneventful.

 

Next morning all was revealed: a flat tyre. A slow leak caused by a thin piece of wire piercing the tread in a groove. It was impossible to find with the tyre removed so I had to put it back on the wheel and re-inflate and immerse in water and then look for the tell-tale bubbles. Plugged and good as new.   …Ed.