Kongwak Sunday 30^th August 2009

Tim Emons (leader)	Honda CBR1000	Dave Ward	Kawasaki Z1000
Paul Southwell	Honda CBR1000	Clifford Peters	Kawasaki ZX10
Misho Zrakic	Honda CBR1000	Ivan Radywonik	KTM 990
Brien Armstrong (3^rd ride)	Honda VTR1000	Ron Johnston	Honda CB1000 (rear rider)
Ben Warden	Honda CBR954	Pina Garasi	Yamaha R6
Ha Du	Honda CBR600	Cameron Stevens	Yamaha FZ6
Dennis Lindemann	Honda CBR600		13 bikes, 13 people

I always sleep well after a day on the chain saw at Mum’s – too well. So I was struggling to make the 10 am start time at Yarra Glen, rolling in on the dot but having to get fuel. Pin or sign? It never used to be this complicated. But I was glad because yesterday my wallet was lost, and today it was found - just where I left it.

I needn’t have worried about missing the ride as a bunch of people arrived after me. This gave me time to scratch down the names and have a squiz at Ronnie’s new dream machine, a mighty Honda CB1000, 2008 build with ABS and six pot callipers. Probably not the latest ABS CBR600 version, the absolute bees knees by all reports, but up there. Ronnie had already done a couple of thousand kilometres on it, the VFR800 ride position too racy for his bent and busted frame. A set of riser bars? Nah! New bike. 50 kgs lighter than the Bandit and plenty of go. CBR1000RR internals, slightly detuned. Immaculate as usual. Another Honda CB(R) convert. What will Geoff Jones say?

My tough words in the magazine and on the web had scared away any new riders except Brien, back for his 3^rd ride, his electronic membership payment received a day later. Only the truly mad riders were out today, the wind blowing a westerly gale, the sky overcast and threatening rain at any moment, the forecast a dismal 14 degrees according to The Age Weather guide.

The new Ronnie, calm and collected, took up the rear rider station as we set forth, first stop an easy 135 km of serious twisties away, as expertly advised by the head hooligan for the day, Tim Emons. No scribe determined, the usual first stuff-up rule not advised, or later invoked.

Across to Healesville and up Chum Creek Road to Toolangi, the roads almost devoid of cars. My near new sprockets and chain felt good, though my tyres were on their last ride, moving around a little during the day. Tim was waiting for the third rider at each corner, so with relatively few riders I was often on Tim’s tail enjoying being towed along.

Down Myers Creek Road with it’s off camber and tightening corners and all manner of motorcycle warning signs indicating not danger, but an especially fun road. See, we are mad!

No cars. Controlled speed. Bike happier with a couple of litres of heavy fuel consumed, better on the change of direction. Set the tone for the day.

I rejoined the ride at Launching place, ahead of the leader, bypassing the Don Road dirt. By all accounts it was dry, hard and dustless. And the lack of mud spatter supported those assertions. Next time. Maybe.

Tim surprised me by turning right at the Warburton Highway and heading for Gembrook before cutting back to Yarra Junction and picking up the Powelltown Road. Brien was giving his VTR the berries in the straights but chasing suspension issues in the corners. He had dropped his tyre pressures from last week but felt the suspension was too stiff, so wound off the front fork preload. Now the bike was running wide in corners. Next stop the pre-load was wound back on. Pre-load sets ride height. Honda front fork springs are historically weak and keep the after market suppliers of stiffer units in business. According to Brien, the net forums indicate the bike comes standard set up for 75 kg riders, (probably at sane speeds). Not suitable for the type of riding we do …

Tight twisties came and went, then the wet fast sweepers. Love those 75 km/h steep downhill ones, feeling for traction all the way, a definite vague feeling. The rear Pilot Road II was ditched after the Eppalock ride last week, a two inch nail sealing its fate. Checking the log book indicated 4 months and over 10,000 km, some sort of modern day world record. Luckily Paul Southwell had left me a Pirelli Diablo with one ride left in it. And then Cameron advertised another set of Pilot Powers via our Club forum, which I snaffled in an instant. I digress.

Up the Nayook bypass and on to Neerim, through Neerim East (definitely feels weird going in this direction – in fact much of the ride was run backwards to the way I normally do these roads, really requiring full attention and concentration) and on to Neerim South after 135 km for a breather. We were joined by Dave Ward and Paul Southwell, a fairly extreme way to avoid the dirt, one considers, though Dave did note he drove back from a party at Welshpool at 1 pm the night before in torrential rain and needed all the sleep he could get. Paul also needed to catch up with partner Jo after another of her epic 124 km push bike rides around Strath Creek and Broadford. Up hill and down dale. Who’s madder?

Speaking of pushbikes, Cliff is now on a new one after a few of us contributed to his 50^th birthday present. He is doing 20 or 30 km a day just to keep his svelte figure, now that he is no longer chasing sheep for a living.

The milk crates outside the bakery were put to good use, making good seats and felt as comfortable as a bike seat. Dave and I had a chat about the Ebay shop in the States offering front wheels for $89 and sprockets with carriers for $17. An extra wheel is handy for tyre changing and sooner or later we need the expensive bits that wear out, particularly chains and sprockets. But Pina says I can’t write about technical mumbo jumbo as she just glazes over. But I am not wired that way. Blokes like shed stuff. (Bugger. I wasn’t allowed to even mention shed time.)

Pina is riding really well. Something has happened in the last few months and her riding has improved dramatically – super smooth and fast on the sweepers. A new confidence. Getting the bike to run right, a lot of time on the back with Misho, persistence and dedication paying off. I even heard her talking about “lines”.

Lunch beckoned, only 70 km away at Mirboo North. On to those Crossover sweepers, left on to Old Sale Road and then right down to Yarragon. Instead of running parallel to the freeway heading for Trafalgar we turned one intersection earlier. Dead straight, howling west wind at our backs. Is that the speed?

Over the Highway at Trafalgar and up the hill past the lookout, riding the sweepers. At the last right 60 km/h hander with a big dip, the wind caught the bike savagely, whilst I caught Ivan reappearing from the bushes at a funny angle. At least he has the machine for a little off road excursions. Nothing said later.

On through Thorpdale and on to the famous fast (downhill in this direction) sweepers, some corners wet, tempering lean angles a tad. In to Mirboo North for fuel and then the Bakery at the other end of town for lunch. Ivan departed at this stage, other commitments taking priority.

Pina was looking for the loop through Hallston and a chance to sit on the back with Misho, his last ride for a couple of weeks with the Club as work on-call requirements preclude Club riding. Hallston not on the menu today. Instead we are off down towards Limonite and Dumbulk, zig-zagging up and down the range before the run into Leongatha. Corner marking with Cliff I noticed he had to bump start his bike. Battery flat he told me. Coincidentally, Ha replaced her battery yesterday. The miracle “just add water” to a completely dry battery from a month earlier had been exposed as a charade. It wouldn’t even hold a charge overnight. Replacement for $85 at Ariel in Smith St Fitzroy.

Out of Leongatha we picked up the heavily patrolled Gippsland Highway before veering off after 8 km and working our way west along more, most un-Tim-like straight roads, working our way west to Outtrim. I passed Cliff travelling relatively slowly, figuring he was on some fuel conservation strategy. A slightly longer wait than normal saw Ha delivering news that Cliff’s bike had stopped completely. Backtracking a few kilometres I met the remaining bikes coming the other way, Cliff perched comfortably on the back with Ron, regularly bottoming out the plush suspension. Ronnie had the spanners out next stop.

And so, onwards and upwards, back into the hills and on to the dangerous Korumburra Wonthaggi Road. Right on queue Mr Plod was spotted taking a break at the lookout, parked perpendicularly to another car, proving difficult to see. Later he moved to a very cunning hidey hole … No issues were encountered.

At the big roundabout after Kongwak we turned right and headed up the hill, turning right again mid sweeper towards Glen Alvie along a very skinny and blustery ridge road eventually picking up the main familiar Wonthaggi Loch Road. Very exposed and also along a ridge, we battled our way north, the odd severe cross wind in the valleys and between the trees making riding challenging and exciting.

Loch for afternoon tea. The fuel station was closed, a first. Though we had only done 100 km, fuel for the VTR, CBR600s and Daves Z1000, all with small tanks, would soon be an issue. The route was modified so that the next stop would be Darnum.

With time marching on, kilometre count increasing, tyre depth decreasing, grip slipping and daylight hours dwindling, we pressed on to Poowong, then Ranceby. Talk of ride days and I should attend except Dave noted my self-imposed 7,000 rpm limit might restrict the fun factor had me staying with Tim, unwittingly, sucked along by the moment and the eerie stillness, gale force tail winds conspiring once again to push the tacho needle around to 7000 rpm. 25 km/h per 1000 revs. As Marty would say, “You do the maths.” And that was the end of the rear tyre.

On to the MSR infamous Warragul Korumburra Road and up to Lardner. Dave was riding steadily, Paul riding shot gun. No fun to be had there. At Lardner we turned right, while Dave and Paul continued straight towards Warragul, only to run out of fuel a couple of kilometres later. Paul’s 300 ml water bottle, of great sentimental value, was sacrificed for the cause. Meanwhile the bulk of the ride wound its way around to Darnum on roads I had not travelled for 20 years, dirt the last time through here, and no freeway bypass! (Sorry Pina, reflections on times gone by specifically not allowed. Just slipped out. Honest injun.)

Brien, Ha and Dennis refuelled. Misty rain due north looked decidedly unpleasant. And dark.

Over the freeway and back up to the Old Sale road. Fuel light came on 184 km as bit of a shock, worst economy ever. I blame Tim and the wind, mainly Tim. 50 km on reserve on a good day, 40 kays to go. Go quietly for a few kilometres and conserve fuel - follow Pina – not that calm really. Crossover twisties again! Have the siphon. Can’t pass them up. Misty rain dissipates, road beckons, bike accelerates, tyres protest, smile widens.

Neerim South, Jindivick and Longwarry North servo and the day is done. 17.88 litres, 18.25 litre tank, over 300 ml left, what was I worried about. Paul and Dave rolled in with their fuel story. Cliff organised with Ron to get dropped off at his son Jason’s house and to collect the bike the next day. Tim offered half a (large) Cherry Ripe to anyone that would capture the essence of the day in words. I’m a sucker for chocolate and had already decided to do the article. Talk of a sacrificial bunny to lead the troops down the highway playing hide and seek with State’s finest. That would be me then. Only one marked car in Cameron’s favourite spot, even better disguised behind the new Armco.

Interesting fun and games down Eastlink as various lane splitting strategies were tested to determine if cameras can detect bikes on the white line. Except Ha forgot to slow down under the gantries … Next Citylink bill will confirm one theory and time will confirm another more ominous outcome.

Official ride length 406 km, Melbourne by 6.45 pm, odometer 590 km home to home. Thanks Tim. Thanks Ronnie. Another pen vibrated to bits, a clear indication of a ripper ride.

Ben Warden