Phew, we are past the shortest day. The Winter Solstice on the 21st of June was also World Motorcycle Day. I rode to work, I hope you got that chance too.
That means we can start to ride off in the afternoon and make distance before the mobile speed bumps (Wombats for our international cousins) and hoppies head out and create an obstacle course. |
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| Great news! I hung the Cardiologist out of his third-floor office window by the feet. He seemed to agree that ceasing the pills that put me at risk out there on the roads was a good idea. I intend to stick with the Super Nang Suit, I'm finding it more user-friendly than I initially anticipated. I've worked out I can leave it paired up with my jacket when I take it off for a coffee break. |
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| It's so, so good to be back on the bike. Riding has never felt like a sport or a pastime to me. It's more of an essential activity. You probably remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs from High School. |
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| I'm regularly getting in trouble with my riding buddy Kel as I ignore large chunks of level one and just keep riding. For some reason, she needs weird stuff like tucker and toilet stops. A hungry Kel with a full bladder is a formidable sight. |
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Longtime riding mate Tomaselli and I got a couple of nights in front of the campfire telly earlier this month. Although we got no further than 200 km from home, we still knocked over two tanks of fuel and covered ground neither had seen in many a year, if at all.
It was cold, blowing a gale, and the firewood was wet as a shag on night two but we had a magic three days riding. Some of our planned dirt road 'long-cut' had to be binned as there was just enough drizzle in places to make it a little too sketchy, fully loaded. We somehow avoided getting wet but rode over lots of soggy roads.
As luck would have it the grim winter weather kept the rubber necks off the GO Road (Great Ocean Traffic Jam) and we had a pretty clean run from Lavers Hill East on the last day. |
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| Stunningly beautiful Beech Forest Road.
Wet, narrow, strewn with leaf and bark litter – intense and thoroughly engaging. |
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As we live on opposite sides of the city, we split just north of Torquay. He headed home on the freeway while I paid through the nose and rolled onto the Queenscliff ferry.
As there's no tiedown system on this boat, I always park the bike with my panniers between the uprights. If it does get a little rough the only place for the bike to go is to rest on the bags.
AND... I make sure it's in gear! |
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| What is it about motorcycles and ferries? |
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| Motorcycles – Sit Down Road Surfing |
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This month we got our hands on the new Transalp and did our pannier frame design. In order to feel like a King having a birthday, I buggered off on it for the arvo.
I gotta say... It was a nice surprise.
Earlier iterations of Transalp left me firmly in the Ho-Humm Zone. Under-powered, under-sprung and underwhelming. While not an arm-stretching mongrel like the Kato, it makes user-friendly power when the motor 'spins up', the suspension is pretty good out of the box and feels well balanced. On dirt roads and bumpy sealed back roads, it tracked well, went where it was told and didn't complain.
The engineers have got the soundtrack queued up nicely. The airbox intake growl is entertaining when the motor starts to boogie.
The brakes are about right for a bike like this. Sitting and standing riding positions worked well for my somewhat stumpy self. Taller riders might find the legroom a touch cramped. I'd like the footpegs set back an inch for a more comfortable standing ride but it's a minor whinge.
When we look at competitors in the same segment, the DE 800 V Strom at $18,590 and the CF Moto 800 at $16,990 come better appointed – the CF positivity bristles with fruit, including a soft luggage set.
With an asking shell out of $15k it's a lot of bike, a nice coherent package. There are many, many miles of smiles in it. And it carries the legendary Honda (equals reliability) name on the tank.
The XL750 isn't a trail bike, it's weighs in at the 'kerb' at 208 kg, it's a most roads tourer on a budget and as such fulfils its brief well. |
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| This example has extras including crash bars ($512), radiator guard ($227), bashplate ($789) and off-road footpegs ($125). |
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The reason I had a crack at the new Transalp is becoming clear I guess. We were doing the pannier support frame design. I'm sure you'll agree that I needed to ride it in case I was asked what I thought.
I'm chuffed at the results, light yet strong. They can be fitted or removed in five minutes when you've done it once. |
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Scoota Bagz These crackin' little courier 'man' bags have been on our menu for fifteen years or more.
The idea was to make a classier, more weather-resistant and usable shoulder bag to replace the old World Blue II gas mask bag. We wrapped it around an A4 file to make it work-friendly, covered the front pockets with a storm flap, and then added a divider and a key clip in the main compartment. |
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| In the latest version, we've combined hard-wearing Cordura® in the zones that get the biggest bashing. Modern, no maintenance, Aussie Fortress oilskin adorns the rest, so it ages and looks better the more punishment it receives. The self-healing chain zipper has been upgraded from #5 to the heavier #8. |
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So... I was wandering about the interweb, trying to work out a minor, first-world dilemma and I kept getting interrupted by pop-ups begging me to subscribe, join up, get coupons or some other annoying shite.
To me, it feels like I'm getting collared by a leering, pushy, voracious car salespersonage while stopping to admire the sun reflecting off the windscreen of a car behind the fence.
Unfortunately, I can't get the real-world satisfaction of giving the salesperson a little advice regarding Sex and Travel. All I can do is immediately leave the website and hope that their stats team see the error of their ways.
Come the revolution there'll be a lot more that pop-ups getting the pop! |
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Bucket...
Why Not Design Your Own Bag |
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This month we are gonna try something a little different. Design your own Bucket Bag.
Andy's favourite shoulder bag lies flat against the body or swallows gear. Adjust the shoulder strap until it takes most of the weight behind the rider and stays quite still.
Here's the go. |
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Above: There are three choices of our CS12 heavy canvas body colour; red, black and drab green. Mix and match the flap and outer pocket, which will be leather on these one-off bags. Clips, webbing and zips will be black.
All you have to do is list the three components (body, flap and pocket) and the colour options you'd like in an email. We'll send an invoice for direct deposit and make them up when we have a few sorted. |
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This month we pack our grimy reggies, change our socks (before they change us) and head in a south-westerly direction. These roads are regulars for me when I'm passing through this neck of the woods. It keeps me off the main roads, holds some riding interest and helps keep me a little under the radar... as it were.
A couple of decades ago it was a bit of a back roads rat-run but those days are gone and it pays to keep a watching brief for the Enjoyment Tax Department. |
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Bunking out of Talangatta, keep an eye out for Bryants Gap Rd and turn left, right at the end, then onto Gundowring Rd. It's open and used to be a place to relax a little (as long as you keep an eye out for stray tractors) and knock over what is a bit of drag on the Kiewa Valley Highway.
It's diary country so look to set up good lines through the brown stripes across the road. I have vivid memories of brother Tomaselli doing the Cow Slip Polka at around $1.30 one afternoon.
Aptly named Happy Valley Rd is a joy. sections of sweepers on either side of a mountain pass section. At the southern end, we pop out onto the Great Alpine Rd and watch the speedo all the way into Myrtleford. It should take a couple of hours tops.
If you missed the Lockhart Gap Rd, head east out of Tallangatta, back down the Omeo Highway and pick up this ride from the eastern end of that cracker ride.
Myrtleford has a strong Italian background and was one of the key sources of tobacco, these days hops and tourism help keep the lights on. It's a regional centre with most of what we need while out and about.
Next month we'll continue south and pop out at Mansfield. |
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| Tasmaniac Malcolm 'Wally' Campbell is a stalwart of the Australian Motorcycle racing scene. Two times Ozzy Superbike Champ and all-round over-achiever in Six Hour, Swann International Series and Bathurst, Wally also continued to empty the bikkie tin at Australian Post Classic Race meets. |
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Campbell tilted at the international race scene, competing in Malaysia and the World Supers from 1989 to 91. Like most Aussies of the day, he was beaten not by lack of skill or application but by budgets. Time was against him when he got back on home soil, and like a newspaper Baron's wife, he was replaced by a younger model. He went around in the domestic 600 Supersport class for a couple of years before putting himself out to pasture.
Always the hard charger, he thought he'd hung up his leather for good but Mal was tempted back into racing by a Brook Henry Ducati. Not long after re-kindling the fire, his old rivalry with Robbie Phyllis re-emerged and they bashed fairings in the Forgotten (Forgotten Budget) Era Class.
Campbell, now in his 70s, hung up his leathers again last year, giving up racing for good... Yeah sure Wal. |
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| This helmet has kissed the track, it was used in a Castrol 6 Hour,
not sure which year. I like to think it's the one in the photo above. |
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| While we are on the subject of hats... |
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The glacial Shoei wheels are rumoured to be working on the replacement for the cracking Hornet Adventure helmet. Unfortunately, this bit of information has had no further substance to it in a year or more. We still have no indication of an ETA, it is very unlikely we'll see anything this year.
Apparently, the runout models have rocking horse manure availability but... I have 4 left.
Just sayin'.
Click here |
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| Hmmm, now there's a winter product idea. |
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| Can you work out what this arty shot is? |
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That's about all I have to write at ya this month.
Copyalater
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