Bena Sunday 27^th June, 2010

Tim Emons (leader)	Honda CBR1000	Mark Copeland	Honda VTR1000
Misho Zrakic/Pina Garasi	Honda CBR1000	Cliff Peters	Kawasaki ZX10
Ben Warden	Honda CBR954	Geoff Shugg	Suzuki DL650
Dennis Lindemann	Honda CBR600	Henry Wright (rear)	Triumph 675
Ha Du	Honda CBR600		9 bikes, 10 people

There is something special about our Club where on a bitterly cold day (12 deg.) with no chance of sun or dry roads, ten people turn up to go for a ride. They are really committed people and dedicated riders. Just to get to the start point requires a serious level of pain and suffering. Cliff lives in Geelong (130 km to Berwick), Mark lives in Darley out Bacchus Marsh way (110 km to Berwick). Even Misho and Pina travel 70 km to Berwick. And it is no easy commute with the boys in blue very active this morning pulling over Henry and a potential first time rider on a LAM (learner approved motorcycle) Suzuki 600 who stopped by Berwick to check out how serious we were about riding. A bit too serious – and he went home with instructions to come back after riding 10,000 km or so – for his own safety.

Henry took up the rear station citing a new front tyre, a Pilot Pure, relieving Geoff of the task. Misho and I are also using them, now that the Pilot Power is no longer being imported/manufactured. The Pure certainly has a distinctive tread pattern and hopefully won’t chop out on the right hand side as much.

Ha struggled to climb into her new one piece waterproofs. Great for keeping warm; a bugger for going to the toilet. And she was out of them as soon as possible – after lunch.

After the pre-ride spiel with no identifiable first aid person or scribe nominated, we set off into the make-bike-filthy spray, heading east along the freeway taking the early Nar Nar Goon exit to Pakenham South, Koo Wee Rup, Bayles and Modella. I thought Henry’s ride was a trip down memory lane a few weeks ago but this route was the exact route I used to take including a couple of side roads. It was weird as I had not been down this way for at least 10 years. The roads are generally dead straight and relatively bumpy. Nothing has changed other than the surface which seems better, though all roads seem better with an Ohlins shock under you. On the positive side you enter the Gippsland Hills probably faster timewise, though longer in distance compared to heading to Drouin. The route traverses few time-wasting towns. But you miss the Warragul Korumburra north south optional routes. Always looking to find the best roads, maybe I’ll take today’s (alternative) route a few more times before deciding on the “best” way.

We were now gradually climbing into the Strzeleckis by riding around the outside of the low hills offering fantastic views of rolling green countryside, slowly working our way east. We first cut across the Drouin Lang Lang Road and then the Main South Road via a road that used to be dirt and is new to me! One for the memory bank. South down to Topiram and Poowong East before heading across to Poowong and on towards Loch taking the Bena turnoff over the dodgy wooden bridges. Tim had warned us of the bumps leading up to them but not the diesel on the last one just before Bena township which saw my rear tyre slither. Corner marking, I watched as the others negotiated the bridge, only Ha having a “moment”.

A quick right left saw us continuing south towards Kongwak on narrow, bumpy, wet roads – 100% wet roads all day. Right at the Jethro turnoff to pick up the familiar Loch Wonthaggi road along the ridge. Half way down we turned right and west again heading for Western Port Bay with the occasional glimpse of the sea, stopping at Grantville for fuel and sustenance at the bakery after 117 km.

We crowded the bikes on the surrounding footpath and set about eating what turned out to be early lunch (11.45 am) for some, myself included. A hamburger with the lot, but no beetroot or pineapple? It had real mince meat though, and the “chunky” pies looked magnificent. We sat outside and thawed out, the ladies suffering with very cold hands in particular. Ha’s heated grips had stopped working. My giant mits created quite a few guffaws from Misho but at least my hands were warm as toast! Alas, covering the brake lever with fat gloves meant that the brake light was flickering for most of the day, cunningly giving the appearance of me braking early and often. The brake light comes on a long time before the pads actually bite – and it is not adjustable.

Misho had taped across his rack with thick grey packaging tape, at Pina’s request no doubt, in an effort to stop the spray flinging up and soaking Pina from the underside. Now Pina, always more image conscious than most (well, me) would only do something as aesthetically disfiguring as this as an absolute last resort. Weeks of getting mud spattered and wet must have finally convinced her. Of course, a proper hugger (less cosmetic, more functional) would resolve the problem, but I don’t think they exist. And the funny thing? The tape made little or no difference! Tim noted the same issue – he gets a mud stripe up his back(!) when riding solo in the rain. Did I mention we are committed riders? Or is that, “should be committed”?

After the long break we headed back inland turning left for Woodleigh, revisiting last month’s crash site of first time rider Jon on the Ducati Monster 400 LAM bike. This time no cow on this great little road. Back to Kernot and Archies Creek following my normal Kilcunda route around through Woolamai and back to Archies Creek before heading north up the Loch Road again, at last on wide and smooth roads. Eleven kays later we turned right heading along the very narrow and bumpy Kongwak Road, with alternate corners strewn with either gravel or cow manure for good measure. This was certainly a tough ride and not suitable for ... most people! The trick was to ride hard and stay warm, the time flying. My bad back? It felt great!

At the big roundabout we turned left and headed back the 15 km to Bena. This road works its way up a ridge line, but on one side of it – the cold side! And the misty rain just added to the experience. At Bena we took the second exit picking up the short link road across to the familiar Korumburra Road and down into Korumburra for the second stop at the bakery after another 118 km.

It was well after 2 pm so we had the bakery carpark to ourselves. Again we sat outside. Dennis was strangely off the pace and noted his rear tyre was sliding around. What pressure? 40 psi. Too hard I said. Running the same rear Pilot 2CT tyre as me, I pointed out the difference in temperature by feel. His was cool, mine was warm. Out with the pressure gauge and dropped it from indicated 46 psi back to 42 psi “hot”. And that was him fixed for the rest of the day, thumbs up, riding like a demon.

After the break we headed up the Warragul Korumburra Road – cold and wet – to the Ellinbank turnoff. Great off-camber (wet) downhill sweepers followed. At the Darnum turnoff I noticed Tim’s numberplate about to fall off, dangling by the last screw. A black cable tie from the underseat “store” saw the problem temporarily resolved in less than a minute, before the rear rider had arrived.

Over the freeway bridge at Darnum taking the first right turn (remember for next time) heading north to pick up the Old Sale Road to Buln Buln. Then the familiar Crossover sweepers, Neerim South and Jindivick to finish at Longwarry North, most people with fuel warning lights showing. I hit reserve at 198 km, remarkably low given the relatively low maximum speeds all day.

A great ride saw the bike clock over 201,000 km. And with new tyres front and back, re-oiled and gassed rear shock, re-oiled front forks, new steering head bearings and relatively new chain and sprockets, the bike feels great and easy to ride. Just have to figure out how to dampen the front brake light switch.

Thanks Tim for a very well researched ride - the pre-ride in the car with his kids no doubt making them sick. And thanks to Henry for keeping us all together, never far behind, on the coldest (unfaired) bike. And thanks to the other participants who are crazy enough to go riding in the middle of winter when the only time we saw the sun was when it shone extremely brightly into our eyes for the last hundred kays back to Melbourne, not assisting the traffic negotiation at all! Till next week then.

Ben Warden