Great Ocean Road Ride MK II

Cliff came up from Portland on Saturday night, staying at our place. It was the first time that Cliff had officially led a ride so I wanted to be there. It turned out to be not the only first.

We made our way to the Westgate meeting place where there was a large Ulysses Club contingent, mostly riding back-friendly bikes. The rest of our crew showed up and after the pre-ride speech and emergency telephone numbers were collected, we set off down the freeway towards Geelong.

We took the first exit heading towards Little River and then to the outskirts of Geelong where the freeway bypass road works are underway. We took a new winding and gravely road up the hill, through the intersection finding back roads to Cape Otway Road. First stop at Moriac where we had a short rest and refreshments. Some people decided to get petrol but the pump didn’t seem to be working properly.

Next Lorne via Deans Marsh. The roads were wet in patches but after Deans Marsh the roads were mostly wet. There was also a large amount of gravel to dodge making the ride to Lorne not that much fun. We stopped at the Mobile servo for fuel, a drink, and a chat. Then off again towards Apollo Bay. Not too much traffic and the road was dry making the ride all the more fun.

I was at the end of the first group. They passed the Lexus that was pushing hard, considering that it was full of people. I got stuck behind it and lost sight of the group. Once it was safe, I passed and pressed on at a steady pace. A few corners later, heading into a gentle right hander I started to lean in but to my horror, the corner was a lot sharper than I thought. I could have made it around if I cut across but if a car was coming then it would be bye-bye. So I hit the brakes in a vain attempt to wash off enough speed but the rear locked up and I skidded sideways into the Armco. The impact threw me through a yellow arrow sign and I somersaulted into the scrub about 10 feet down the cliff.

After I landed and checked that nothing was broken or bleeding I stood up but couldn’t see the road or the ocean through the scrub. “Oh crap, how am I gonna get out of here?” I said, considering my predicament. I climbed up hill towards the road where I was met by Ian, Mick (ZX10) and Matt (GSXR750). “Are you alright?” they asked. “Yeah, I’m okay. Bloody hell, that was hard work getting out of there” was my response. They lifted my bike up and helped push it to the small parking bay just up the road while dodging cars that were also caught at that corner.

I rang Heidi and informed her of the situation as well as asking her if she could pick us up. I asked the guys to get a tow truck at Apollo Bay on their way through. Off they went and a few minutes later the phone rang informing me that the tow truck was on its way. I thanked them for their help and told them to be careful. I called Cliff to tell him what had happened, dropping out a few times.

As far as the ride goes, this was as far as I got. The tow truck came and took me back to his place in Apollo Bay. According to him, I am not the only one to crash at this corner, and I was very lucky to walk away. That made me feel happier. Cliff arrived and I showed him the damage. Ninety minutes later Heidi showed up in the ute and we loaded the bike and paid the towing fee of $220.

We went back to the crash site. It was the exact corner that Cliff crashed his ZZR1100 back in 2001, except he bounced off the Armco whereas I flew over it. We left the GOR via Skenes Creek and headed home, arriving at 8:30 pm.

Damage to the bike consisted of fairing damage on the left hand side, broken throttle position sensor preventing the bike from starting, smashed left headlight but it still works, bent left handlebar, and broken tank cover. There are black marks where my left boot was caught between the bike and the Armco. Both foot pegs on the right side are broken and there are miscellaneous scratches. My left foot is swollen and my hips are bruised from hitting the sign. My arms and legs are stiff but I’m generally okay.

Thanks to the guys that stopped and helped. Thanks to the tow truck guy and thanks to Cliff and Heidi who came and rescued me. It was a good ride up until that point. Now the painful task of repair.

Update: bought both footpegs, handlebar and a throttle position sensor from the wreckers. The spark plug leads were severed and am connecting them back together. Thanks to everyone that rang and sent emails; it means a lot to me, so thank you and hope to see you all soon.

Jason Peters