Melbourne Cup Weekend MK II

Ian Payne	Honda CBR1000	Ha Du	Honda CBR600
Misho Zrakic	Honda CBR1000	Dennis Lindemann	Honda CBR600
Paul Southwell	Honda CBR1000	Ben Fuller	Suzuki GSXR1300
John Rousseaux	Honda CBR1000	Rob Jones	Suzuki GSXR1000
Dave Ward	Honda CBR1000	Ross Gellatly	Suzuki GSXR1000
Peter Jones	Honda CBR1000	Bronwyn Manifold	Kawasaki Z1000
Ron Johnston	Honda CBF1000	Cliff Peters	Kawasaki ZX10
Ben Warden	Honda CBR954	Pina Garasi	Yamaha R6

According to the web: “The Club has booked three different motels for Sat 31^st October at the Orbost Country Motor Inn, ($90), Sun 1^st November at the Adaminaby Tanderra Lodge Motel ($70)) and Monday 2^nd November at the Mt Beauty Snow Gum Motel ($95). We have booked six rooms, all twin share, so nominally twelve people. To reserve a bed pay $130 into the Club coffers (Club makes $2.50 out of you) asap, first in best dressed.”

In the end only 11 people took up the offer, the other 5 people making their own accommodation arrangements. This left the Club the cost of half a room down each night. Thanks to Peter Jones who paid some extra dollars to the Club and had a room to himself for a couple of nights, the Club is only out of pocket $50, including the extra $2.50 we gouged out of the participants.

• Day 1: Licola, Dargo, Orbost - Cliff Peters leading
• Day 2: Orbost, Bonang, Eden, Bombala, Adaminaby - short option - Ben Warden leading
• Day 2: extra loop: Jindabyne, Thredbo, Khancoban, Cabramurra, Adaminaby (only Ben, Cliff and Misho did this extra 200 loop arriving back at Adaminaby after dark. Pina was particularly pleased to see her man back home safely. Tinted visor and headlight protectors look good, but not optimal in the dark! At least he didn’t see half the wildlife hopping about.
• Day 3: Adaminaby, Cabramurra, Elliot Way, Tumbarumba, Jingellic, Walwa, Granya Gap, Tallangatta, Tamgambalanga Road to Mt Beauty - Dave Ward leading
• Day 3 extra loop: up and down Falls Creek (it was so hot and humid we recuperated for an hour or so until 5 pm when the hardy few set off on one of the best roads around. Gluttons for punishment were Ben, Cliff, Misho and Pina two up and Dennis. The Fab Five. I reckon it was the fastest I had ever ridden up the mountain. To say Cliff and I were surprised when Misho turned up only seconds behind us would be an understatement. Pina noted her legs had turned to jelly (from fear) and that she had said a few “Hail Mary’s” on the way up. She observed that the better rider she becomes, the more aware she is of Misho’s speed, the perilous nature of the road, and the possible consequences.
• Day 4: Mt Beauty, Falls Creek, Omeo (via newly sealed road – all downhill, surface poor. Road would work better in other direction, future note), Bruthen, Briagolong, Tyers, Longwarry North. Paul Southwell leading. Around Melbourne Cup running time, on a back back-road, we encountered a couple of police vehicles performing random breath tests, clearly after locals who know the back roads.

Incidents: Bronwyn’s Z1000 had a puncture 25 km short of Dargo. Misho plugged the hole and hand pumped the tyre. She was able to ride to the next stop, Briagolong to top up with air. Dan at the General Store in Dargo, a long time motorcyclist, offered to plug the tyre with a mushroom plug, should we require it. He has a full workshop including a tyre changing machine out the back catering specifically for motorcyclists – mainly dirt bike riders.

Just as we are leaving Adaminaby Misho discovers he has a flat rear tyre. Misho effects the repair at the local servo and Ben and Misho catch the ride at Sue City on the Elliot Way

Four kilometres up the steep incline out of Sue City heading for Tumbarumba Ha’s clutch cable snaps. With no way to start the bike uphill, Ha rides down to the bottom, completes a U turn, and then rides the bike clutchless to Tumbarumba. Despite Ben’s pessimism, the local mower shop proves a goldmine with the owner producing not one, but two clutch cables, one a near perfect match. Cost? No charge. Country hospitality at its finest. It was fine sight, CBR600 Honda’s fairings off, tools and screws on the ground, 13 spectators offering advice and specialist tools. Great team effort.

Animals that Ben encountered: horses on Elliot Way, magpie eating road kill became road kill, some live and lots of dead big blue tongue lizards and snakes sunbaking on remote roads, giving way to black wallaby charging down hill and straight across road, echidna, mob of kangaroos either side of road at dusk on Cabramurra Road – little ones according to Cliff. Then there was the deer on the other side of the road coming down Falls Creek. I wondered why the car had stopped. A goanna eating road kill on the Imlay Road. Fox and lots of rabbits near Cabramurra where we usually stop for a photo.

Weather encountered: torrential downpour near Stockdale, day 1, which turned to fierce hail storm stinging through gloves – only Ben and Ian seemed to get this event. Paul saw a lightning strike while corner marking at Bombala, too close for comfort. Gale force winds on the last day blowing a freshly turned paddock into dust and distributing it kilometres away. Visibility through the dust was 4 or 5 metres with the likelihood of being rammed, front or rear, ever present. Air filters? Paul stripped his that night and they were filthy.

Bugs day two. It is swarming season and with the high humidity and hot temperatures, flying ants were in large clouds. Rob Jones got one in each eye. Visor cleans were the order of the day every 30 km or so. Once we gained some altitude, the bug count dropped off. Bikes covered n bugs.

Gravel road between Orbost and Delegate. Recently surfaced with gravel making riding difficult. Twelve kilometres felt like thirty. Sports bikes with wide tyres not ideally suited.

Tyre wear was heavy but everyone had near new tyres, so no issues encountered. Ben destroyed his Pilot Road II (lasted 7,500 km, previous 10,200 km). Pilot Road IIs were very popular with at least 8 bikes wearing them.

Ben Warden