Eildon via Torbreck River                     21st  November 2004

Honda CBR929           Pete Weyermayr (leader)                      Kawasaki ZX10R        Danny Hawker

Honda CBR929           Ian Payne (rear rider)                            Kawasaki ZX12R        Paul Grosser

Honda CBR929           Ben Warden                                         Kawasaki ZX7R          Tim Walker

Honda CBR954           Paul Southwell                                      Yamaha YZF1000       Trevor Harris

Honda CBR1100XX    Martin Hastie                                        Yamaha R1                  Stoimen Stojanov

Honda CBR1100XX    Wayne & Damian Pope                        Suzuki GSXR1000       Cliff Peters

Honda CBR600           Ricky Smith (2nd ride)                           Suzuki Bandit               Ron Johnston

Honda VFR800           Bruce Saville                                        Suzuki Bandit               Eddie De Marchi (1st)

 

I had made the commitment that I was to go on a Club ride today as last week the weather man said it was going to rain and the week before it rained heavily. I left home and got onto the ring road with the fuel gauge showing 3 bars (plenty of fuel to get to Yarra Glen). I thought.

 

The trip through to the road works just before Christmas Hills was uneventful. The road works speed was down to 40 km/h and they have ripped up the road surface again. I thought after the last trip through here it was getting close to being finished. Now, the fuel gauge was flashing showing very low fuel.

 

The traffic was getting heavy and slow with an early model bike club in the middle of it. What the heck, I thought, hopefully I will have enough fuel to blast past them and still make it to Yarra Glen.

 

A nervous trip finally got me into the fuel station and I filled up with 20 litres. (22 litre tank? …Ed.) Even the fuel station console operator commented on how much fuel I had put in. Then across the road to park with only one other bike that I didn’t recognize. It was 10 to 10. Was I at the correct meeting place?

 

After a short time lots of familiar faces turned up. Eventually there were 16 bikes and 17 people – one pillion, making it the biggest ride since July. Pete gave the day’s ride spiel, then onto our bikes and we left Yarra Glen about ¼ after 10am.

 

The ride followed the usual route to Healesville and through the Black Spur which was in better condition than after the storm two weeks ago. The dirt section was a lot safer than last Wednesday when it was a 15 km/h slippery drive, even in the car. The traffic lights were kind to us, only being caught up at the first set, the other couple we got though by just slowing down. Point of interest while waiting for the lights to change: out of the ten riders that were waiting, nine of them had Shoei helmets.

 

Bruce and I were at the back of the group. When the lights changed he had to beat everyone to the next corner, but we caught up with him when he slowed for the next two sets of traffic lights.

 

A detour via Marysville was next, then back onto the Highway at Buxton and on to Eildon where we stopped for a late morning tea around 11 am.

 

A quick blast up to Torbreck River for a photo shoot, then back to Eildon for lunch and fuel. After lunch we rode to Yea via the fun Molesworth road, and then onto Kinglake West where the ride broke up.

 

For me, door-to-door was just under 400 kilometres.  Deduct the kilometers from home to the meeting point and kilometers home and I expect we did close to 300 kms for the ride.

 

Thanks Pete for leading and Ian for rear riding duties. No incidents except for Bruce finding a nail in his rear tyre which he left alone until he got home.

 

 

Martin Hastie (Honda CBR1100 XX)