Eildon via Torbreck River            Sunday 27th July, 2003

 

Honda CBR929           Pete Weyermayr (leader)                      Yamaha R1                  Mario Ibeas (1/3 rear)

Honda CBR929           Greg Hales                                           Honda VFR750           Bruce Saville

Honda CBR929           Ben Warden                                         Suzuki GSXR750         Will Surtida

Honda CBR954           Paul Southwell                          Suzuki GSXR1000       Ray Walker

Honda CBR600           Di Welsford (1/3 rear)                          Suzuki GSXR1000       Daniel Kosinski

Honda CBR919           Liz Oliver                                             KTM 950 LC8            Rob Langer

Honda CBR1100XX    Martin Hastie                                        Yamaha TRX850         Tony Raditsis (1st ride)

 

Thinking I might have missed the group, I pull up at Yarra Glen just as Pete’s calling everyone in for the spiel.  There’s a good turnout with a wide spread of riders and equipment.  Dianne is rear rider to start the day off.  Always feels good to be away.  I’d put my black aftermarket fairing on last Thursday and was excited about making the most of the last ride on my rear tyre. My goal for today is to try to get some idea of what’s happening at the front and rear in the way of tyres, since there’s so much more feedback than the cushy VFR.

 

We head over to Healesville and up Chum Creek Road.  The roads are damp to wet and look slippery in the shadows.  Should have taken my sunnys off!  I come up behind a TRX who’s running a nice pace and obviously concentrating on his line.  Could be hard work to pass since esses are straight-lined.  Must be relatively new to the Club. Talking later, Tony was riding ‘Superbike School’ lines. 

 

Corner marked at Healesville before the Black Spur run.  Looks dry enough, suppose it’s safe to up the pace a bit.  I find it’s a great road for getting into the flow of things but had continual thoughts of the VFR scraping at this pace.  Preparing for the corner… check entry speed… brief look ahead through corner… chuck it in… nothing.  Not even a peg down.  Beautiful.  Even had more to go.  Mental note for next time!  These tyres are great (D207RR’s) and heat up pretty quickly. You can basically go for it on the second dry corner. 

 

Morning tea, chin wag and fuel at Marysville, then off to Buxton.  Dianne’s off like a flash; someone else must be rear riding.  Her enthusiasm is contagious and a few of us turn up the wick as well, then cruising up the radar infested transport sections.  Rob, on his beautiful, new, metallic orange monster comes sailing by.  Something pleasant to look at when the transport sections become dull.  Through Alexandra and Eildon and it’s onto a wet shiny, moss covered road (Torbrek River Rd) that leads to, well, nowhere.  But the fun’s in the journey and definitely not the destination.  It looks slippery, so it’s cruising with trepidation behind Ray.

 

A taillight appears through the trees and is gone.  A few corners later it appears again, and there’s Liz.  Out on her own and very brisk in the wet.  A couple more bikes and there’s Pete.  But where’s Rob?  So it was off to find him.  Over two bridges and 1.1 km on and then dirt, but no Rob.  So U-turn it is, and cheeky grin and shake of head by Pete on my return.  Rob had stayed in Eildon for an early lunch and adjustment of ride height on his KTM.  My eyes are watering and nose is running.  What a great road.

 

I get nervous behind those jeans of Greg’s, especially at the pace he sets on his newly acquired CBR Blade.  Into Eildon for fuel and lunch.  45 minute wait for chips or a burger so it’s a walk across the car park for a great sandwich made on the spot, the older lady doing a great job.

 

Afternoon rear riders were Will, then Mario.

 

We leave Eildon over the winding Skyline road and across towards Molesworth.  Only metres from Molesworth, Ray’s rear tyre received a puncture and deflated within a couple of corners.  The group continues while Bruce, Mario and I keep Ray company.  We cruise for a few km’s, at 40 km/h, till we get nervous about the tyre and stop.  Mario runs into Yea and returns with a can of tyre repair and Will plugs the tyre as Ray Zooshes it.  Worked like a treat and had put 20 lbs of air in it which was topped up to 34 lbs in Yea.

 

The rest of the group had gone on to finish in Kinglake.

 

Our run over Junction Hill was pure fun, (provoked by Bruce’s left-foot tap dance!) with Ray, Bruce and I playing cat and mouse; a heavily damaged red TLR on the roadside with embarrassed rider conveyed the result of any of us pushing too hard.

 

On through Flowerdale and a wave to Bruce as my GSXR sails past on a left-hander had me immediately confronted by water on a fast approaching right-hander.  A quick roll off the gas and onto the front brake, followed by putting the left hand back on the bar and tipping in.  Wow, talk about concentration.

 

This ride was so much fun.  Taking it in turns to overtake, lead and be unexpectedly overtaken again on the next corner.  The overtaking distances getting finer and finer. Mario and Will only just behind as we pull up in Kinglake, their smiles visible from behind their visors.  Satisfaction all round, me-thinks.

 

Thanks to Pete for the great roads; Di, Will and Mario for rear riding and everyone for their friendship and company.

 

Daniel Kosinski (Suzuki GSXR1000)