Towong Day 3 Monday 1^st November, 2010

John Rousseaux (rear)	Honda CBR1000	Ben Warden (lead)	Honda CBR954
Ian Payne	Honda CBR1000	Ha Du	Honda CBR600
Paul Southwell	Honda CBR1000	Ben Fuller	Suzuki GSXR1000
Peter Jones	Honda CBR1000	Rob Jones	Suzuki GSXR1000
Boyd Witzerman	Honda CBR1000	Cliff Peters	Kawasaki ZX10
Misho Zrakic/Pina Garasi	Honda CBR1000	Dave Ward	Kawasaki ZX6
Kurt McEnaney	Honda VTR1000	Rob Langer	KTM 950 SE
Ron Johnston	Honda CB1000F	Henry Wright	Triumph 675

A quick multiple choice question:

You know you have been overtaken by MSR when:

a) Even though your HD Heritage Soft-tail is being ridden at the ragged edge, they blow past at about 4 times your speed.

b) You can no longer hear.

c) Because there were 5 of them at the same time on the other side of double lines around a blind corner over a crest!

d) There were 7 FireBlades in a row.

e) All of the above.

Of course the correct answer is d) and that sets the tone for a great day of riding!

Day 3 was our biggest day. (Day 1: 434 km, Day 2: 630 km, Day 3: 480 km, Day 4: 495km …Ed.) All the raving about how good the previous day was finally coaxed the (softer) members to actually do some riding while they were there. I don’t know how many bikes there were but I bet Ben does; let’s call it 24.

After meeting and fuelling up at the universally acclaimed “slowest breakfast cafe in the world” (Kancoban) we set off up the Alpine Way with some highly variable conditions. The road started off dry, then went to wet patches (but not in the corners), then to dry, then back to full wet. A burst of rain had some scrabbling for wet weathers only in time for the rain to stop two km later. However, they were a good idea as we climbed into the higher areas and the air temperature dropped to around 4 deg C. Misho tempted YouTube “crash video” fame by strapping a waterproof camera to his Blade. “Looks faster than it is,” he says later. Yeah, right...

We rode (blasted) to Jindabyne, where some took the option of an early lunch. While those too stupid or clueless to know better followed Ben up to the top of Charlotte Pass. The temperature fell to about 1 deg. C and light rain/sleet was falling at the top. A few hundred metres of road had been badly damaged by snow chains and the road resembled little more than craters with ball bearings in parts. Large patches of snow also covered the ground, right up to the road. Later we would learn that member Mark Copeland (VTR1000) and Marc Marais (Triumph 955) had ridden later in the day and slipped off the road on ice that had formed. Only ‘minor cosmetic’ to bikes but Marc has damaged the anterior cruciate knee ligament and was unable to ride. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery. As the weather started to close in we rode back to Jindabyne for fuel and lunch.

I took up Peter’s offer at the petrol station to ride his 2009 Blade and took it back up the Pass to the pay station and back. The CBR is pretty different to the Triumph Street R: good stability at high speed, massive power and a very flexible engine. Also being out of the wind does wonders for drive out of corners. Although set up for Peter’s weight the suspension was punishing for my 73kg and I felt the brakes lacked feel compared to my bike, which caused much derision from the Honda faithful back at camp CBR in Jindabyne. I also rode Boyd’s older but very well presented (red flames) 2005 Blade a short distance. The feel was similar to the 2009 model but the improvements in engine smoothness and low down torque in the newer model were very noticeable.

Unfortunately, all this test riding delayed my lunch order which in turn delayed everyone else, meaning by the time I finished the weather had closed in. Ben left Jindabyne like a bat out of hell along roads which I know the name not of (Dalgetty, Berridale, Adaminaby …Ed.), determined to beat the rain. Everyone else followed and this left me, fighting my neck muscle limited top speed in the rain, by myself. This gave me plenty of time to think about how I would trade my bike in for something with wind protection and a bit more touring ability. A 2002 VFR 800?

After this we ended up a place I can only describe as “somewhere” (Adaminaby) as I have no idea where we went. Except that it took about 100km of sweepers to get there and the scenery was nice with rocky fields on the high plains. When I got there we had run across the BMW Motorcycle Club again and also a group of patched Harley Davidson riders - the Huns. They left Adaminaby just as I arrived.

After a fuel stop for some, we headed off to Kiandra. The fun really started as we turned left back into the Kosciuszko National Park which turned into the most amazing series of fast and tight corners, over crests and into impossibly pretty valleys. Plus the road had just been swept (we nearly collided with the road sweeper!) and it was dry!

Unfortunately, both the BMW Club and the HD riders also thought this was a good road. MSR merged together with both groups simultaneously along a particularly challenging stretch. Put it simply, they now know the answer to the question above!

Back in the cheap seats I was also relishing the ride on roads that suited the speed envelope of my bike. Across a string of rapid left-right corners, the wide bars, good brakes, light weight and good tyres got me as close to motorcycling nirvana as I have ever been, and it continued for about 90km!

A brief stop at the top (Cabramurra) to gather breath and re-group before we headed down the mountain back towards Khancoban for more twisties. We stopped just outside of Cabramurra at the usual spot for a group photo. Back on the bikes, all the while I was hoping that the large tree that had blocked the way around a blind crest the day before had been cleared. Thankfully it had. But part way down the weather returned and rain remained our companion all the way back.

A solid 450 kms or so for the day saw us happy to return back home in time for a great ‘home cooked’ dinner at the B&B. Unfortunately, Misho took the main road way from Khancoban to Towong (not the usual back way) and got booked at 1xx in a 100 zone on the main highway near Towong town. We don’t know the results yet but we hope he hangs on to his licence. This was the only time we had seen police on patrol the whole day.

Soon, however, the delicious food, a few beers and reminiscing of good times had us all going to bed with smiles – after watching the taped Estoril MotoGP including the spectacular 125 crashes.

End Day 3.

Henry Wright