| Like the Ex-governor of California once said "I'll be back". And... I bloody well am! The new Alpinestars Tech Air, 'Nang-Suit' is sufficient protection to allow me to climb back on the bike and not be too concerned about the platelet pills causing trouble if I come off. These things are now mandatory in most forms of two-wheeled competition in some form or other, it's the future. They aren't cheap, they are a little cumbersome and weigh a bit but hey... if I want to keep riding into my dotage (further into it she reckons) I'm all for it! I've found it surprisingly unobtrusive to wear and, once settled, I don't notice the weight. I've removed the armour from my jacket to offset it somewhat. More on the Nang Suit a bit later in the Strapzagram. Try not to wet yourself... On my very first wearing, I kitted up in the glum early morning of my shed. I stepped forward in my flash new suit and went RRs-up over a stray boot. Luckily I eased myself down and the thing didn't deploy! |
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Wow, I hope you got a chance to look into the heavens and get an eye full of the Aurora earlier this month. It's been on my 'to-do' list for some time now but despite a few shivering midnight vigils, it hasn't happened... Until now, now the next 'Bucket List' tick box to complete is the the Northern Lights as well.
As it was touted as the best show for over two decades and likely to be the only chance for an old fella to get it done, we decided to camp out in a beachside car park and set a number of alarms. While that was good in theory, strutharama, every car park was chock-a-block with hordes of people. It was busier than a summer long weekend!
It was worth the effort as the photos show. |
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| One thing about Grand Billy-Lids is they remind one to live. |
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| When we reach the stage of requiring a bib, smearing our mushed up tucker all over our faces, we must remember to enjoy ourselves and keep smiling. |
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This month we head off to a different discipline – the Aussie giant killer – Speedway.
I have wonderful memories of going to Claremont Speedway in Perth. Almost every Friday night I'd tag along with the kids across the road. We'd squeeze ourselves behind the fence with recovered tear-off goggles and giggle as we got sprayed with mud.
And that smell... Heaven.
Anyway... where was I? This helmet is one of Max Fricke's. Hailing from Mansfield, Victoria he set up his career with four under 21 Australian Championships and three Aussie Solo Championships. As these talent riders do he moved to Europe joining the Edinburgh Monarchs for the 2013 season after a couple of seasons finding his errr... feet. Fricke moved to Manchester's Belle Vue for a five-year stint in 2015, picking up the 2016 World Under 21 Championship along the way, scoring his first Senior race that year due to injured teammates. By 2022 Max had shared the Speedway of Nations World Championship. Earlier this year, his gritty fightback saw him take out second place in the Aussie Championship. |
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| BOLL is a Polish automotive paint supplies company if you're curious. |
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| I've been waiting for this item to get to me for a couple of months now. I reckon it's the future and finally, the technology has caught up to the needs of Aussie riders. Early examples of this style of vest were problematic in that if you had a fall and it deployed, you were left with no protection until it was sent back for an expensive re-set. While the Alpinestars Tech Air is tagged 'Off-road' it makes sense for most riding conditions, especially adventure riders. This mob have the runs on the board with decades of experience in clothing and protection. They offer five options - Pro - race only
- 7x - race and road
- 5 - Road, Touring, Light Adventure
- 3 for commuters
- And - Off-road.
While we'll be stocking the Tech Air Off-Road, we will be able to source the Tech Air 5 for those who'd prefer it. The most obvious difference between the two are - Off Road offers neck protection and the 5 doesn't
- The Tech Air 5 is short-sleeved
- the 5 is a slimmer fit, that is it takes up a bit less room in the jacket.
- They have different deployment algorithms.
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| It provides armour protection for the shoulders, collarbones, chest, neck and full back. One of their skites is that it represents protection of around 18 back protectors. How on earth they came up with that figure is perplexing but hey... Who am I to dispute it? |
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The Tech-Air® Off-Road System provides protection in ENDURO, RALLY, and STREET Modes including crashes against obstacles and loss of control falls (commonly
referred to as ‘low-side’ and ‘high-side’ type falls). |
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"• ENDURO Mode is optimized for low and medium speed trails where the User rides on unpaved surfaces like gravel, riverbeds, mud, and other natural terrain. Typically, these riding scenarios include several changes in riding directions, tackling obstacles and hills at lower speeds.
• RALLY Mode is optimized for fast off-road action on any type of terrain and recommended for riding characterized by longer straight sections with multiple
bumps and different types of terrain crossed at higher speeds, unlikely encountered in typical Enduro competitions. Typical environments where these riding scenarios occur are mainly characterized by desert terrain (with dunes and sandy ground), gravel and open countryside settings.
• STREET Mode is optimized for asphalt roads including situations in which the rider’s motorcycle is hit by another vehicle while stopped." (Alpinestars promo)
You can see why I chose this model. Providing we have it in the correct mode (controlled by buttons or an App) it's gonna cover all riding conditions we are most likely to come across from day to day. A couple of concerns I had were sorted out with my first rides. - Would I stay warm? Could I get the correct layering over or under it?
- Yes, I can fit it over one of our Mac in a Sac Puffer jackets with thermals and a T-shirt beneath.
- Would it be a pain in RRs to put on and take off each stop?
- No, not really – I found I could leave it fitted inside my jacket and don both at the same time.
- Would it be too heavy?
- No, not really. It's heavy to lug about and I'd hate to be hiking in it but that's not its purpose. Once on the weight tends to dissipate. A bit like a well-designed backpack.
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| Click below for more info and my full review. |
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Road Warning
I recently had a far west, northern New South Wales fella on the telling bone. He says that the roads out his way are errr... Fk'd, was his road engineering jargon. A Tibooburra local, he says he's never seen them in a worse state!
The area has had big rains and the roads are cut up badly.
As you can see, as of mid-month, most smaller unsealed roads are closed, the ones that are open are in a diabolical condition and it will be many months before graders can sort the rest. |
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If you're headed out past the Back 'o' Bourke, do some homework first. Don't forget, if you get the wrong side of a cranky copper out that way and you are on a closed road, you could end up poorer.
What I find to be a pain in the RRs, is that information is either shire- or state-based and that information stops at the border. To get the rest of the picture requires more searching.
Links
Central Darling Shire Road Conditions
Bourke Shire Road Reports
Queensland Road Reports
NSW live road reports
Red means closed of course |
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We're a strange animal
An old Yorkshire saying my Grandfather used to trot out was - "There's nowt as queer as folk".
I regularly get contact from customers who've had a prang and or taken out an unyielding bush, troweling a pannier. The cool part for us is that we can fix them – most of the time – but it takes time and as the truism goes… 'time is money'. Many times, the request is just fix it... I love them. Occasionally, we have to sit them down, get them a cuppa tea, a box of tissues and declare the item dead.
Half a gorilla can vanish in a flash. Fuel, accommodation and a hangover can dispense with the hard-earned like pouring craft beer from a can. We are never phased by shelling out $500 or more for a set of tyres that last 10,000km (if you're lucky) but... clothing and bags are supposed to last two life-times. The same spend on a pair of boots and we want them to last forever, be fabulously comfortable, waterproof and 'see us out'... many years after the tyres have started stopping kiddies hurting themselves from falling off play equipment. |
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I'm as guilty of this sort of skewed thinking as anyone. We get attached to our gear, somehow, inanimate objects take on some sort of pseudo-mateship. I guess it's wrapped up around our expectations when we enter into something like the purchase of something that is supposed to 'last' versus something that is meant to wear out.
A neck warmer is supposed to last, whereas an oil filter of the same value is disposable. A helmet is knackered after five years but a jacket is supposed to go with us to the grave. A new rain over-jacket costs the same as a night in a motel and a feed, but we get the sh1ts if it only lasts five years.
How cockeyed is that! In reality, we motor-bicyclists should be prepared to write off any piece of equipment at any moment. Tearing a hole in a sleeve, ripping the knee out of pants, getting a tent too cosy with an exhaust pipe, minor disasters of that kind happen.
Faeces occur, it's all disposable, and some of it lasts longer than others. We just need to wrap our heads around it. |
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| For locals or those who only get a chance on a Saturday, we continue to open on the first Saturday for the month 10am to 1pm. |
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During the latter stages of COVID, Exped took all their sleeping mats, chucked them in a cement mixer and ladled out a whole new descriptor set. Instead of using thickness, they started using R-Value.
The interweb has this to offer.
The term R-value stands for thermal resistance and is a measure of the level of resistance to heat flow a given material or an assembly can offer as a result of suppressing conduction, convection, and radiation
That meant SFA to me so I sat on my hands until they got their act together or I worked out WTF they were on about.
It turns out that the UL3R is the replacement for the very successful UL7 range. Although a few of the earlier versions had the bad habit of letting go along a tube seam and herniating along the length, Exped replaced every one, no questions asked.
Weighing less then half a kilogram and rated to -5C, these are the most comfy and lightest camping mattresses around. I think they are ideally suited to those trips where I might only spend a couple of nights on the ground but camping gear is a must-have backup.
Struth, I used mine one night in a motel room, it was the only one left in town so 4 of us shared it. As we settled down into our fart sacks, we agreed that if someone started snoring, it was fair play to throw a boot at their feet... Come morning the room was strewn with boots. |
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This month we keep working our way North-West and find ourselves wishing to move to the area and spend a lifetime wearing out tyres.
Last month we ended up in Benambra or Omeo, booked another night at the pub and called the boss, reporting a nasty case of Industrial Diarrhoea. We're gonna spend another day getting our jollies cutting a loop with lunch at Tallangatta.
Beware, I've seen snow beside the road on both of these routes. The imaginatively named Benambra-Corryong Rd is a quality dirt road but can have a skatey surface at times. Sassafrass Gap is a good spot for a rest, photo (of the snow.. Brrr) and strain the beans. |
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| Omeo Highway - a gorgeous mix of sectors of tight and sweeping bends. |
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After a coffee in Corryong, the choice is either the Murray River Road that winds along the Victorian side of the Murray River. Or, the fast, unsealed River Road on the northern bank. A combination of both is easily done as there are bridge crossings at Jingellic and Tintaldra. My favourite is the ferry punt at Wymah, west of Granya. Don't miss the Granya Road, it's a cracker, spoiled lately with dumb speed limit restrictions as a result of bikers wrapping themselves around the scenery. Respect this area, don't let ambition overtake ability! |
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Tallangatta is a police hot spot, and they patrol the Murray Valley Highway, peak times will see a presence on the Murray River Rd.
There's heaps of camping along the Murray River, Jingellic has a pub with motel-style accommodation, and Walwa Pub was under new management (and needed it!) but I haven't sampled their hospitality – yet. |
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| Point the bike in any direction and you're bound to
build up a grin that will make your face ache. |
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Product Spotlight One of the longest-running items on our menu is our Nekz. Born of the philosophy that all gear we take on our bikes must have at least two functions, I came up with a neck warmer that converts to a beanie. |
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| A polar fleece outer and our superfine Merino inner make a snuggly breeze excluder. When I stop I simply drag it north, pull the elastic drawstring and bingo I have a cosy beanie... I've got that sort of head.
CLICK HERE to grab one. |
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Fart Sacks for Big People |
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I'm constantly on the lookout for gear to suit the real people we take care of. So much on offer seems to be made for the Swedish, twenty-something supermodel.
Sleeping bags are a case in point. |
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| This semi-rectangular bag is 90cm at the shoulder so you can easily get into that perfect sleeping position without feeling restricted. Box wall construction keeps the bags 1000g of Grey Duck 90/10 down evenly distributed through the length of the bag and prevents any clumping and cool spots. |
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| Packed into its compression bag it measures 38 x 22 cm, not small but compact for this size bag. |
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| At a recommended $650 we reckon it's crackin' value for a down bag, stock in Oz is limited at this point in time so hop in quick to keep your big cuddly self warm and cosy this winter. We'z selling 'em for $595 |
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Maintenance, maintenance. |
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Yeah, yeah, we all know how important it is to look after tyre pressures, chain lube, oil changes and air filters. It's unlikely the workshop where we might take our steeds do the really important strip down and check things like wiring looms.
Despite knowing this I find myself leaving that sort of maintenance for another time. 'Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow...right!
Dirt roads are tough on every part of the bike, vibration and grit = orbital sander. They also play havoc with switch gear and sensors.
As I could no longer put off a wiring check inside my fairing I did a little rearranging of the dash at the same time. One of my staff's sons has started up a business engraving plaques, mostly he's doing fish measuring artwork for boats. He volunteered to help me cover up a whole series of ugly holes with this cracking little sign. |
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Check out more on this young fella's start up here - CLICK |
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| The Dr's dash, cute huh...
That plaque is covering about 8 holes from previous GPS mounts. |
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| Where was I... Oh, as I put the whole thing back together I did a light check and found I had no brake light. Yes, dirt roads are tough on bulbs too. Unfortunately, they are also tough on brake switches too. |
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| To bring a long story back to a conclusion; while I was pretty dirty that I had more work to do... I was happy to find that I really needed to pull the rear end apart to sort the rear wiring loom before it wore through and stranded me in the middle of nowhere. |
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| The next step is to rip the motor out and send it up to Skinny's Garage in Queensland for the 440 and 6-speed conversion. While It borders on a choking point, spending half the value on the bike on such an extravagance, but I figure this might be my forever, get old and travel everywhere bike. |
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Technolojeez Muz got in touch with this bit of a heads-up.
I was wondering if you’re aware of the What3Words service? It’s free and you don’t need to create an account, nor do the recipients of shared locations. It’s the best way to find anybody or anything down to a 3m² block anywhere on the planet.
Take a look (link below) and maybe integrate it in your next newsletter? It’s a great service and might save somebody’s life one day as well.
What3Words: https://what3words.com/about
It looks great as a way to set a ride meeting point as well. The next step is trying to work out how to use it to navigate. |
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That's about all I have to write at yer this month.
Fire up the bike and get out there!
I'm gonna!
Copyalater
Andy
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| Forward to your mates so they can get a dose of Strapzagram each month |
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