Mirboo East,
|
Ben Warden |
Honda CBR954 |
|
Cliff Peters
(Lead) |
|
|
Paul Southwell |
Honda CBR1000 |
|
Jason Wilson
(rear) |
|
|
Misho
Zrakic/Pina Garasi |
Honda CBR1000 |
|
Geoff Shugg |
Suzuki DL 650 |
|
John Willis |
Honda XL1000 |
|
7
bikes/8 people |
355kms
|
Unaccustomed as I am to public drivel,
apparently all you blokes and blokettes will have to
put up with my interpret a shun of the ride to Mirboo North due to the fact
that I’m the bloke who took the three points and $239 fine that our editor
should have copped at the end of the day on the highway. I was following said
offender and got pulled over in his stead, and a certain culprit sailed off
into the sunset! And as loser of the day,
the stuff up has also earned me this duty, to enhance the pleasure. Oh joy! Oh bliss!
You owe me big time. I’ll get my own back; I’ve got some dirt I could serve up
on days long past, when he was still wet behind the ears.
I have actually done a few articles many
moons ago, in this esteemed public a shun. About 12 years ago when I was riding with the Club in my previous
incarnation with an even stronger Pommie accent, no
doubt. Ben’s still extracting the michael
out of my good self. Haven’t ridden for 10 years, so as you might imagine,
every day on a bike is like Christmas Day at the moment. I’m just starting to
get back into the groove. The back’s more knackered,
hence the Honda Varadero (the flying armchair) has
replaced the Suzuki TL. I still love that V twin power delivery.
You’ll have to wait a mo now as my pizza
has arrived.
Right toe then, if that was dinner, I’ve
had it. Now on to the serious type stuff.
I arrived at the last minute at Berwick
from Lilydale and by the time I’d filled up Cliff was into the orders for the
day. Everyone had their wets on apart from yours truly. It had thrown it down
big time Friday night and all day Saturday but I was living in hope of dry
roads. If I can get away without the full body condom, then I’m happy.
We were off down the highway on the
transit run to God’s own country, Gippsland. Where were you all? Early on in
the day we hardly needed the Corner Marking System as we remained in view of
each other from leader to tail end Charlie (I mean tail end Jason.) The Magnificent Seven. Sorry Pina; I meant 7 bikes, 8
punters, and one pillion. The roads
were dry with the odd wet patch under overhanging trees, and just enough small
patches of gravel to make life interesting, washed over the road from the
previous couple of day’s torrential precipita
shun.
The clouds looked threatening, on
occasion, but we were in luck. NO rain all day; not a spit. By mid arvo complaints were heard about over-heating bods wishing
they had their leathers on instead of the fully lined wet gear.
As we arrived at our first stop at
It’s nice to ride with a small group
sometimes. Not better, just different to a big mob. A bit
more personal, if you know what I mean.
Any road, off we set like cut cats
through some of the good stuff, leading onto the better stuff, and then a
couple of kays of dirt thrown in specially to test
out the anti-lock brakes on the steed. They work real good;
worth every cent I reckon. “If it only saves you once a year it’s a good year”,
as the tyre ad says.
Whilst following Cliff and Misho a car
coming the other way flashed us, the boys in blue lurking, not far ahead. I was
just about to stop and turn around to flash the rest of our team when it was
corner marking time. Saved again, me thinks.
If you’re starting to realise that there
are few specific mentions of places in this article, then you have seen right
through me. Not hard to do I can assure you. You lead and I will follow.
Although I used to lead a few rides way back when, it might all come back to me
eventually if dementia doesn’t get me first.
I could just list off the towns from the itinerary but you can just read
them yourselves. But we had a lunch at Mirboo North as was promised, where Pina
commented on the amount of food I had eaten at our two stops. I take sandwiches
each day to work and I’m not doing it on the weekend, so I indulge myself.
Mention was made about the last Formula
One GP tonight, starting on TV at midnight. Too late for me. By the time you read this you will know if we
have an Aussie world champeen again. Mr. Webber we
hope.
Everyone was on a very similar pace all
day, pretty swift, making for the enjoyment of hardly waiting on corners. The
day became a blur of endless corners, sweepers, hairpins, and bliss, nay
nirvana [he’s croaked it long ago] was experienced by all.
I was starting to realise the machine
seemed to be lacking a bit of grunt up top. Ben managed to force his way past
Paul on one particular horn section of twisties, but
try as I might I just didn’t have the grunt. I must be about 50% down on
neddies anyway. Paul couldn’t lose me but I was not going to get by on this
section.
Later on I realised the last maybe 15%
of my throttle movement was severely restricted by the wiring of the heated
hand grips not allowing full rotation. An easy fix to refit
the cable ties. Much better than my first thought of I’ve caned this
bike so much in it’s first 6,000k I’ve knackered sumink.
At the Trafalgar stop Geoff Shugg had a sit on
the Varadero and commented on the fact it’s quite a
bit taller than his V-Strom, I’m enjoying the Pirelli Skorpion
tyres Geoff recommended. I only got 5,000 kays out of
the original Bridgestone rear, destroyed, but it did have ten years worth of
missed rides taken out on it.
I wasn’t going to be on the ride today.
Instead I should have been taking part in my other passion for the weekend, flying
radio controlled aircraft away up state. But I bailed out due to the rain.
Seven hours driving up and back and not a sorty
flown, a few bevvies sunk and bullshit spun. Glad it
worked out that way in the end, apart from copping someone else’s points and
fine. I really enjoyed your company, people. Thanks for the day.
Well I can’t stand tapping on these keys
any more, you lot. Give me a shovel any day. Good job it’s each to his own,
hey? Academic I’m not. Maybe I’ve done an appalling enough job to be over
looked next time. One can live in hope.
(I’ve pencilled you in for an article a month - for the rest of your life …Ed.)
355 kays for the day.
P.S. I’ve found some way old photos of
eons ago and I swear Craig Morley is still wearing the same pair of boots. Come
to think of it, Ben’s leathers look somehow strangely familiar, you old
cheapskate. Or should that be astute purchaser?
(Yes, they are the same! They are
just back from the local bootmakers, getting a new
ankle zip installed and a smidge of restitching - $45 total. The address is
Gregory’s Bag & Shoe Repairs, 6 Leake St North
Essendon. Ring Joe on 9379 6137 …Ed.)
John Willis