Winter Solstice with Ern aka Highlands 21^st June, 2009

Willem Vandeveld (rear)	Honda ST1300	Geoff Jones	Yamaha R1
Dave Ward	Honda CBR1000	Pina Garasi	Yamaha R6
Misho Zrakic	Honda CBR1000	Cameron Stevens	Yamaha FZ6
Ern Reeders (leader)	Honda CBR954	Dave Chisma	BMW F800ST
Ben Warden	Honda CBR954	Mark Rigsby	Suzuki GSXR1000
Ha Du	Honda CBR600	Ray Weston	KTM 990 Superduke
Brett Simpson (1^st ride)	Ducati 848		13 bikes, 13 people

Shortest day of the year and a damp start at Whittlesea sees the above riders set forth from Whittlesea except Ray who joined us at Alexandra.

Before Ern got proceedings underway Cameron produced a headlight from the FZ with a fused low beam element, part of an ongoing discussion with his Yamaha dealer over why the globe keeps failing. It seems the current is spiking, melting the filament, rectifier the suspect.

The R1 has had a recent “electrical” incident caused by its owner deciding to replace the well known extra breather with a 12V blower that sucks a partial vacuum in the crankcase. Camping outlets sell 12V inflator/deflator blowers for air beds that when fitted to the crankcase breather creates quite a bit of vacuum. Not the 20” to 30”/ Hg that the drag racers run with mechanical pumps because any more than 15” starves the bore walls and small ends of oil mist. I ordered a unit on the web and noted it had a 110W motor which needs about 10 Amps of power. Too thick to think about a relay, I wired the unit into the normal loom with a toggle switch and 15 amp fuse. Do the Citylink drone to work and all seemed okay except some strange goings on with the instruments and lighting levels. Park the bike, charge the battery and use the car for the next two days.

Friday and an early start only gets me about 5 km from home when the bike cuts out, out of fuel. Ring Val and put 5 litre in and head down the Calder to the BP at Calder Raceway, no blinkers working and no way the bike will start after filling up. Ring Val again and wait. Leave the bike at the Maccas carpark, drive Val to work in Fitzroy, return to the bike, remove battery and head home where a Skyline waits on an auto transmission valve replacement. Don’t ask! Owner stupidity again. Fit the ex-wrecker valve unit, replace tranny fluid, test drive to make sure I have all four gears and head to Sunbury Yamaha for a new battery. Check the price of a replacement rectifier $250, get the battery to the bike which of course starts. Leave the Skyline for later pickup and get the bike back home. Volt meter shows no charge and the spare motor stator measures the same as the one in the bike so it’s not that. Ring Vic wreckers who have a rectifier for $125. Note the plug to the rectifier is damaged but don’t think any more than get to the wrecker, get the rectifier and a bonus plug, buy a black 2001 seat that does not fit as it turns out and then pick up Val. 206 Pug to the BP, pick up the Skyline and finally all the Jones fleet is home. Supercheap has smaller blowers but I will leave it as Yamaha intended. I found that the rectifier was not damaged, the plug was the culprit. Rectifier added to the spares cache.

Back to the ride and Ern gives the pre-ride talk, Willem gets the rear rider gig and I get the write up gig. First stop Alexandra via the burnt out section through Kinglake West and Flowerdale where much clearing work has been completed. The road feels very different due to the lack of overhead canopy. Lots of spray off the bike in front but no rain. Shiny rear tyre to remind one of low grip levels. Over Junction Hill and through Yea, onto the Goulburn Valley highway to Molesworth, along another of the favourite roads following the river to Alexandra and first break. Bakery fare to warm up the cockles and top up the tummy. Fuel tanks topped by some, “just in case”. Back onto the Highway, through Yarck to pick up the Old Gobur road and turn left to Terip Terip and on to Caveat and the tighter run through Highlands. Ern marking every potential corner to avoid a repeat of the slight mix-up on his recent Strathbogie ride. Ha took the normal road to Seymour with Ben in pursuit as Ern took another, recently sealed road into Seymour. Cobweb clearing of a high order on this section. Fuel first then food near the rail station where talk the talk seemed to get to which bikes have the most attractive “cleavage”. Some mixed feelings on the frontal aspect of the latest CBR1000 noted. Pina’s R6 seemed to have the most revealing “cleavage among the bikes on

today’s ride, her “short and thick” Termi also seemed to get a mention. The subject of fork oil changing came up as Mark had done the steering head bearings and fork oil change on the GSXR after investing in the correct tools. I did the oil change on the R1 forks before sitting down to tap this lot out; very satisfying to see the muck that comes out replaced by the fresh stuff.

Dave Chisma headed home from Seymour to attend to his wife who had injured herself while doing some slicing while the rest of us headed towards Pyalong for the run down to Lancefield and Romsey before picking up the swoopy road to ride finish at Wallan. Willem left at Romsey.

No incidents reported and despite my pleas at the ride start, no gossip either. Very little traffic and very tasty roads, even with the dampness noted. Damp roads require a higher level of smooth braking and acceleration but deliver lower tyre wear. Good to get an earful of the two V-twins on the ride. Makes a change from the fours.

Thanks for the leading effort, Ern, and to rear rider Willem with the blue lights on the ST. No other blue lights seen all day.

Geoff Jones