Towong Saturday 29th Oct – Tue 1st
Nov, 2005
|
Honda CBR929 |
Ben Warden |
Mitsubishi Magna |
Julie Warden |
|
Suzuki GSXR1000 |
Lyn Duncan |
Triumph Sprint 955 |
Ern Reeders |
|
Suzuki GSXR1000 |
Cliff Peters |
Honda CBR1000 |
Paul Southwell |
|
|
Danny Hawker |
Honda VFR800 |
Bruce Saville |
|
Honda CB900 |
Shane Hindle |
BMW K100RT |
Mike Neate |
|
MV Augusta Brutale |
Bronwyn Manifold |
MV Augusta 750 SPR |
Dave Ward |
|
Suzuki Bandit |
Ron Johnston |
Ford Wagon |
Julie Johnston |
|
Honda VFR750 |
Renzo Cunico |
|
|
Day 3 Monday 31st October Towong-Thredbo-Cabramurra-Towong
Ron Wise had fixed the bladder on the water pump and hence it didn’t start and stop with annoying frequency. And it didn’t rain all night like the previous one. So Lyn had a better sleep and was up early - 6.30 am, which was really 5.30 am given we had just started daylight saving. Julie was keen to go for a walk. By the time they had made a cup of tea and had a piece of toast I decided to join them for the walk up to The Ridge. I took the camera taking the opportunity to get some scenery shots capturing some of the accommodation features as a memory jogger for next time.
As the girls walked they collected three local dogs, and were distracted by the all the beautiful gardens. I strode ahead and did the camera stuff, getting an artistic shot of the aluminium tables and chairs on the decking reflected in the pool, contrasting with the natural beauty of the distant ranges. I caught up with Ron and Julie Johnston in the lower cabin, and then Mike, Dave and Bron in the top apartment, taking more photos from their balcony. Then the Julie, Lyn and I walked back to Snowy Mountains Holiday (SMH) for breakfast.
Dave Moore, Clint and Darryn had left for home early Saturday morning, Dave Moore exhausted after a day at the track and another hard day’s riding. Clint and Darryn weren’t too keen on riding in the wet and, given they had all come in the one car towing a trailer with the three bikes, there weren’t many options. I think next year they may consider taking more vehicles to allow alternative strategies.
I returned to the main cottage to find all the lads having breakfast. Ron Vise was ringing the local tourist people to find out what the weather conditions were like around the place, and his wife Sarah connected to the Internet and checked out the Bureau of Meteorology web site. “Showers” was the most recurring feature but the temperatures were warm – another hot and humid day, much like yesterday we presumed. Of course, no rain and 28 degrees was forecast for Melbourne, and 31 for the Cup on Tuesday.
All the riders from yesterday were itching to go, and those who stayed home and missed out yesterday were even more keen to get a ride in. The full contingent of 12 bikes and 13 riders set off for Khancoban and first fuel after 18 km. Dave and Bron were riding the Brutale, determined to ride despite the forced retirement of the SPR with wheel bearing troubles. Alas, the good bike cleaning from yesterday was soon undone in the first 500 meters as we encountered muddy road works just over the bridge.
After refuelling at Khancoban it was a gentle ride to get the tyres up to temperature on the damp roads. I started out getting a bit of a break but it wasn’t long before the chargers caught up to me and finally Dave (and Bron) were right on my tail. I pushed a bit harder, the bike and road surface feeling good. It is always easier to follow and I think the guys realised this and didn’t take the opportunity to pass. After about 30 km we stopped, just past the bridge, some 10 km sort of our usual stop at Tom Groggin, but with a similar look and feel about it, deceiving me at the time.
Dave set about emptying a 10 litre plastic container of fuel he was carrying into the bike, the container leaking. With the Brutale shooting flames out the exhaust on the overrun after being remapped to improve the fuel economy, a leaking petrol container wasn’t optimal. The tank wouldn’t take the full 10 litres so Paul and I kindly accepted a litre or two, Paul doing the honours.
The sky was very overcast and ominous, producing very even and soft light, ideal for taking pictures of bikes and people. Cameras appeared and I took some nice photos of the group and Bron’s bike.
Overcast skies in the
Light rain welcomed us to the
Over Dead Horse Gap, past Thredbo and on to Jindabyne. The road opened out and visibility improved, though riding smoothly was the key if any sort of reasonable progress was to be made. Dave was blitzing everyone, two up, claiming there was tons of grip. Maybe so for him, but the rest of us were struggling.
The plan was to eat in Jindabyne town centre where we ate last time. As we came down the steep hill I saw Renzo fuelling up at the Shell on the left and rightly presumed Ern would be in town at a suitable eatery. Lyn followed me into town and I pulled into the large car park and looked for where we ate last time, not immediately recognising the shops. After a while the others joined me at the food court which I still thought must have changed since last February. It had. It was all new and we were in the wrong place, according to Ern. Except there were 13 of us and one of him, so he came and joined us. This new food court has effectively killed the original one. Sandwiches and rolls were great and not over priced. A couple of heavy showers passed overhead as we sat outside under the sails planning our next move.
After a leisurely lunch we set off for Dalgety, except Ron decided he needed to get fuel, and should he go now? Of course. I pondered how this could have arisen and decided, though it may seem bleeding obvious: if you get out of synch with the rest of the group with fuel, the onus is on you is to get fuel at the earliest part of the stop and not hold up the group. Renzo and Ern had done the right thing and got fuel at the start of the break. There is nothing wrong with being out of synch – some bikes have bigger tanks and or get better fuel economy (or worse!) – so long as you look after your self. The majority of bikes can go around 200 km before needing fuel. We had only done 115 km and the next stop was Adaminaby after another 81 km and given the extremely economical conditions we had been riding under, everyone (if they had filled at Khancoban) would easily make Adaminaby.
While Ron went for fuel, we got off our bikes and took shelter under the awning as another heavy shower passed through. Paul amused us as he valiantly wiggled into his wet weather pants while sitting on the ground, legs pointing skywards. Clearly, the normal method of balancing on one leg had proved a little difficult and embarrassing one too many times. His wet weathers flap horribly, bashing him to death, and so at every opportunity he quickly removes them. But when it rains he has to put them back on again!
By this stage the BM Club had rolled in and I caught a glimpse of former regular MSTCV rider, Jack Youdan, on a black R1150GS. A couple of our group had a quick chat with him as we now made tracks.
I noted Ron’s bike still in the garage but we were clearly visible. Left at the big roundabout, left again 5 km out of town and now we were on almost dry roads heading for Dalgety. Ern had decided on riding directly to Berridale and would catch up with us at Adaminaby, or if he felt crook, would press on to Cabramurra and home.
The riding conditions were now
good, the scenery as green as I had ever seen. Left at Dalgety
and northwards to Berridale. A right at Berridale and immediate left
onto the
Meanwhile we pressed on to Adaminaby and fuelled up before moving around to the main shopping street for refreshments. There were still 9 bikes and 10 people in better spirits with the finer weather. No sign of Ern, who apparently was hassled by a patch wearing Harley rider wanting to know what use oggy knobs were, shaking them roughly. Ern decided to move on.
Just as were about to leave another light shower passed through, making the roads very wet. We rolled out of town at almost legal speeds which was just as well as Ern had encountered a radar mounted police car in this section. Dave and Bron worked their way back onto my tail as we pressed on, on this magic piece of road: wide, well surfaced, twisty, good visibility, hilly, well marked. It was only under down hill braking that I could regularly open up a gap as riding two up is a much harder proposition to brake on wet roads. Even so, there were lots of tricky corners with changing radius’ and off camber corners requiring very smooth riding to maintain a consistent speed and keep the pressure on the lads at the back, for once!
At Kiandra we peeled left and headed for Cabramurra. The road was mainly dry now as we passed a few bikes and the pace crept up as did the grin factor. Just past the Cabramurra turnoff I stopped for a group photo shot, a little higher up the mountain than on previous occasions. We parked the bikes parallel to each other, I scrambled up the steep embankment, issued instructions to all and sundry (thanks for your co-operation) and produced some great photos, a misty cloud in the valley below adding atmosphere.
Lyn was itching to get back riding, having so much fun. I said they could all go as the route was uninterrupted till Khancoban. I found myself last to leave and only managed to catch Mike and then Bruce who waved me through, finally latching on to Shane who was travelling well. It was on for young and old at the front on the now almost dry roads. A fantastic ride.
Right down the bottom after passing through ‘the walls’ the group was waiting at the T junction. I slipped around the corner and picked up the back way to Towong, home in another 15 km making a total of 389 km for the day and another terrific ride. No sign of Cliff or Ron but they rolled up about half an hour later, slightly miffed, but happy to be back safe and sound.
The ritual bike cleaning was undertaken and I even participated, shocking a few people. I also learnt that Paul had dropped his bike cleaning the night before, resulting in a 10 cm crack in the fairing where the blinker tried to punch a hole through the fairing. In the same vein, Mike’s K100RT had toppled over during the night when left parked on the centre stand, slowly sinking through the pebbles, crunching his right hand side mirror. As it turned out these would be the only incidents for the weekend.
Tea that night was at the first pub in Corryong. It was Julie’s birthday and a night off cooking seemed a fair deal. Ron Vise loaned us his blue van which seated about 9 people, so with me the designated driver for the evening and Julie taking the wagon, we were able to do just the one trip into Corryong. Dave and Bron completed their packing including loading the bikes onto the back of the ute and joined us in Corryong before continuing on home to start work the next day.
We commandeered the longest table and had places for everyone, though from memory, a couple did sit on another table. The food was fast and plentiful, the pub looking good after recent renovations. I had settled the accommodation debt before tea and now, with wallets at the ready purchasing meals, was able to recoup the remaining monies, both for accommodation (typically another $35 on top of the $70 deposit), $4 for spaghetti Sat night and $7 for the barbecue on Sunday night. Mike noted later in the evening that this was a ridiculous waste of time which could be better spent socialising. Why not just get the money up front? On reflection, this seemed a very good idea, avoiding any payment issues where memories are tested. So, in future, as outlined elsewhere in the magazine, only the full amount paid up front will secure accommodation. The money should be paid directly into the Club bank account or handled by the treasurer.
As the evening progressed, many a tall story was told, and later that night Bruce held court again in the garage. Bruce was adamant that his “blocking” tactics would continue the next day.
Meanwhile I kept my promise to Sarah and Ron, showing the day’s photos and ones from the previous three trips. They really appreciated the pictures of what we get up to. Later on I took the laptop back to the garage and showed the last two day’s photos to the group which worked well in the near pitch dark. Afterwards I showed Sarah how to copy the photos onto a memory stick and the next morning we transferred them to her computer.
In bed late and very contented.
Day 4
Tuesday 1st November Towong-Walwa- Mitta-Mitta-
Whitfield-Melbourne
Everyone was up early, though some looked seedier than others. Lyn and Julie set off for a long walk up to The Ridge and around in a big loop, collecting three dogs along the way and meeting another two at The Ridge. Julie had already made toast and coffee before leaving but didn’t say no when Mike offered the same again.
Meanwhile I set about packing the car with Julie’s push bike, my spare rear wheel, tool box, wheel stands, box of fluids – oil, coolant for the car, chain lube, bike cleaning rags and chemicals. Each day this box moved, apparently of its own accord. I would leave it on the shelves, next day it would be on the floor, sometimes with the oil and coolant out of the box. Apparently something was leaking and staining the shelves which Ron was building for a neighbour. Ron would move the box each day; I would return it each night!
As I continued packing, all the bags including Paul’s and Lyn’s, it occurred to me that leaving at 9.30 am would put us an 90 minutes behind time compared to Day 1 where we also left at 9.30 am, but started at Yarck, 90 minutes from home for most riders. So I mentioned this observation to the group sitting around and effectively waiting, who agreed. Hence, we were able to get away at 9 am.
The weather looked fantastic and it was already warm. No wet weathers today. Over the creaky wooden bridge and left at the T junction saw us picking up the back way to Tintaldra. The motor was still warming up and I was barely into top gear when I crested a small rise to be engulfed in a sea of red and grey – a flock of galahs. I dodged and weaved until a heavy thunk indicated another strike. A moment later I was amongst another flock, this time large, white Major Mitchell cockatoos, all screeching at me. A couple of near misses and the road cleared.
Up ahead was a tractor travelling very slowly, but awkwardly for us, approaching a steep uphill left hander marked at 30 km/h, a very unusually slow corner on a reasonable B grade road. I managed to just get past the tractor before the bend and was away, but I know the others had varying degrees of difficulty because once in the corner, protected by high grass and a cutting, the tractor effectively disappeared, yet was taking up the whole of one lane around a blind crest. Very dangerous. Shane had a problem.
At Tintaldra we turned right and picked up the main drag back to Walwa on a perfectly surfaced road. Last day, everyone in the groove, plenty of tyres left, no reason to hold back. Acting as the rabbit out front, the guys (and gal) were really able to enjoy themselves along here as a warm up to the next section after Walwa. But first fuel from a single pump, Ben the pump jockey, filling each bike in succession to speed up the process, each rider paying the guy behind the counter in the general store. Lyn noted that she had had a close encounter with a kookaburra, flying parallel to her and the bike, looking like it was going to land on her mirror, according to Danny. A magpie and another smaller bird had deposited themselves on my lower left fairing leaving a red, thick, gooey mess, bringing the tally to six birds.
At Granya we stopped for a visor clean after a very pleasant ride around the lake, the only incident to note was the bumps/roadworks mid-corner around a tight, off camber sweeper causing a few heart-in-mouth moments for some. But of course, five of us had been this way three days earlier in the wet, and noted their presence, and so took the “wide” line without missing a beat.
The Granya Gap beckoned and, as usual, proved a sensational ride. It is like a faster, wider version of the Reefton Spur. Paul and Danny were dicing out front in close company. At the end of a longish downhill straight with a tight left hand corner, Danny applied the brakes hard. Paul knew he had a problem from the basic laws of physics, given the combined bike and rider weights of at least 60 kg difference, and momentum equals mass by velocity. Paul had “a bucket load” more momentum. Of course, another law of Physics was also coming in to play. “A body will continue in its same state of motion unless acted on by an external force”, that is, the bike was going to go straight ahead unless something dramatic happened, and mighty quick. Action! Paul went past Danny at a great rate of knots, back wheel waving merrily, at an estimated five feet in the air! Of course, I cannot vouch for this as it was only reported by an eye witness.
We regrouped at the highway and soon enough Mike, with Bruce in tow, completed the group, all safe and sound. As Ron Johnston is fond of saying, “This road takes no prisoners.” Paul was a little subdued, but ever so impressed with the new race compound Dunlop front tyre, and those magnificent Honda radial calliper brakes offering superb feel.
A careful ride towards Tallangatta
before left on to the Mitta Mitta
road which starts out with a whole series of marked 70 km/h corners. The
interesting thing with early these corners is that they are all the same radius,
and with experience, you know how fast each corner can be taken, despite often
not having full visibility. The road
follows the
Ron Johnston seemed to be enjoying his bike a bit better. The “Team” had removed some of the 40 grams of weight on his front wheel after a recent new tyre and balance seemed to make things worse! Back at home the tyre was rebalanced and found to be way out, more weight coming off. The shop didn’t have the hang of the new machine first time round!
Mitta Mitta was early lunch or first food stop. Some fuelled up. Cliff took an instant liking to a STOP sign and they wandered around together for a few minutes. Meanwhile Lyn struck up a conversation with the women serving in the General Store just as another woman wearing her dressing gown and hair curlers came in. “She’s picked the wrong time to come to the shop with 20 blokes hanging around” quipped Lyn, thinking the poor woman must be very embarrassed after just nipping down to the shop for a pack of ciggies. “No dear”, replied the shop manager, “She’s just dressed up for the Melbourne Cup race meeting.” Oops.
Back to Eskdale and up to Red Bluff locality, Bruce now recovered. Then down to Gundowring Junction where we stopped for a regroup and the first and only photo session of the day. Vivid blue sky, rich dark green grass, distant hills, sparkling bikes, happy faces. Perfect material.
Next the
A drink stop at Myrtleford and rag wash. Lyn has almost convinced me to use a wet chamois jammed between the instruments and screen as a visor cleaning weapon that can be used on the fly. I haven’t perfected its use yet. Too wet and or/incorrectly folded and it disappears out of reach behind the instruments. Not wet enough and it has dried out in 30 km. It only retains sufficient moisture, depending on ambient conditions, for not much more than 50 km. But, as Lyn says, it is better than nothing. It did reduce the absolute necessity to stop after 50 km to clean our visors due to the huge amount of bug life in the wet and luxuriant grass areas, ie almost everywhere!
Eighty kays
of boring highway saw us back in Whitlfield and on
the last leg. No stopping at
We bade our farewells and made
the long trip home. I heard Mike followed Ron back to Kilsyth for a cup of tea
and in depth car discussion. Danny and Cliff had a long ride of them still,
continuing on to
Over the next day or so I contacted most riders to confirm that they made it home safely and without incident. By definition it was a good trip with no crashes or bookings. But of course, it was really much better than that, this time 18 people enjoying the great roads, accommodation, food and camaraderie.
Lyn was ecstatic. Her bike, now with a Power Commander and remapped to suit, working flawlessly. Shane is thinking about a new bike. Renzo is thinking about a new bike. Paul has a new set of tyres on now, the Dunlops heading back to the distributor after their “road test” for analysis. Danny has a new GSXR750. Lyn wants a new bike. Mike was starting to push the BM in the corners and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, thinking we are sensational group of riders, and all “nice people”.
Australia Day beckons, much the same format. Book now.
Ben Warden
Fuel statistics for the trip
|
Date |
cents/litre |
$ |
litres |
Odometer |
km/tank |
km/l |
Comment |
|
29-Oct |
117.7 |
18.95 |
16.10 |
66,812 |
265 |
16.5 |
Start odometer 66,787 km |
|
|
135.9 |
18.59 |
13.68 |
67,036 |
224 |
16.4 |
Whitfield |
|
|
139.9 |
25.04 |
17.90 |
317 |
281 |
15.7 |
Mitta Mitta |
|
30-Oct |
132.5 |
16.80 |
12.68 |
513 |
196 |
15.5 |
Corryong |
|
|
132.9 |
12.78 |
9.62 |
678 |
165 |
17.1 |
Tumut |
|
|
133.5 |
18.33 |
13.73 |
897 |
219 |
15.9 |
Tumbarumba |
|
31-Oct |
133.9 |
14.89 |
11.12 |
68,073 |
176 |
15.8 |
Khancoban |
|
|
130.9 |
17.58 |
13.43 |
294 |
221 |
16.4 |
Adaminaby |
|
1-Nov |
144.1 |
8.14 |
5.65 |
480 |
186 |
15.2 |
Walwa - not full |
|
|
130.9 |
21.23 |
16.22 |
626 |
146 |
15.2 |
Mitta Mitta |
|
|
135.9 |
17.61 |
12.96 |
833 |
207 |
16.0 |
Whitfield |
|
6-Nov |
119.7 |
20.72 |
17.31 |
69,122 |
289 |
16.7 |
End odometer 69,080 km |
|
|
|
|
144.30 |
|
|
|
|
|
Averages: |
135.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
excluding 1st and last tank |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
191.71 |
144.30 |
2,293 |
|
|
excluding 1st tank |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average |
|
|
|
|
210 |
16.0 |
excluding 1st tank |