Midlifefjr
Well-known member
Awesome ride report. Keep em coming mate. We are all riding along with you. :clapping: :clapping:
30+ Days around Oz on an FJR
- Thread starter Cejay
- Start date
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FJReggie
Member
G'day Cejay, Sounds like your havin' a whale of a time! Your a pissistent bastard aren't ya! What with the weather throwing everything at ya! Just take it easy mate in those conditions. Better to arrive late than arrive broken.
Cheers....FJReggie
Cheers....FJReggie
FJR Steve
Well-known member
^^^wReggieS^^^
Hey Reggie...wanna go around and say g'day to my mum? She's up near Nursing home in Elliot Street!!!!
Actually, being an old Devonport boy myself...if you are in the Ulysses group there, then there is a big chance you would know an old and dear friend of mine..Shane Warren.
Will catch up with you when I (one day) return to the Apple Isle.
Keep up the good work Cejay...love the reports.
FJReggie
Member
^^^wReggieS^^^
Hey Reggie...wanna go around and say g'day to my mum? She's up near Nursing home in Elliot Street!!!!
Actually, being an old Devonport boy myself...if you are in the Ulysses group there, then there is a big chance you would know an old and dear friend of mine..Shane Warren.
Will catch up with you when I (one day) return to the Apple Isle.
Keep up the good work Cejay...love the reports.
G'day Steve, ....Yeah I'd love to visit ya mum. Is she a good sort? Is she rich? I've only just sent away my application for Ulysses membership so I'll probably get to know some members in the near future...I'm only new to the bike scene. SWMBO & I did some volunteer work for the local branch ("Cradle Coast Cruisers") last year when we hosted the 2006 AGM. Met some good people too. Looking forward to some rides with them. Hey!! Have you heard of the Aussie FJR web site yet. I've just joined . www.FJR13.org Get yourself on there. We need members. I'd love to catch up with Ya for a beer or two if ya get to TAS
Cheers Mate!
FJR Steve
Well-known member
Um yeah....sort of.
I had a bit of insomnia and found this thread.........I couldn't go back to bed without reading every post and see a few pics! Damn good read and love the reports. Not sure I'd have the balls to make the ride but love reading about it! Keep the stories coming......What's up with the faux leopard pillow covers though?
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LAroo
Well-known member
You will love the Snowy ride if you make it past Canberra. I have done it 3 times and each time it just gets better. The aim of the ride is to raise money for childhood cancer and there is a checkpoint ride around some of the nicest alpine roads anywhere in the world.
https://www.snowyride.com.au/
Keep up the commentary, Cejay.
Best LAroo.
krashdragon
Well-known member
G'day Cejay,
Love the reports... whish I was with there riding.... ok, except for the rain... I've ridden in enuf rain already...
Oh yeha... I just LOVE the fake lepoard pillows!
Seriously.... keep the reports coming, they're great to read... went and look at the pics, too...
Enjoy and ride safe!
mary
Love the reports... whish I was with there riding.... ok, except for the rain... I've ridden in enuf rain already...
Oh yeha... I just LOVE the fake lepoard pillows!
Seriously.... keep the reports coming, they're great to read... went and look at the pics, too...
Enjoy and ride safe!
mary
Cejay
Well-known member
Hi Fellas, sorry have not posted in a while, will update soon in the meantime some pics
Sunrise behind the FJR
Simpsons Gap at near Alice Springs
From the creek bed
On the Road to Tennant Creek in the NT
Sunrise on the Barkly HWY
Searching for shade in the 42 degree heat - Barkly HWY
Gold Coast from Tamborine Mountain
Looking south from Tamborine Mountain - rain and more rain
Time to descend
The road south to the NSW border
This is where I stopped to mend a flat
All fixed and ready to roll - some cut the tails, I prefer to let them wear off
Main st of Grafton - gotta love those Jacarandas
Lunch at Glenreagh
The Big Banana at Coffs Harbour
Newell Falls on the road to Dorrigi - road surface was brilliant apart from water and diesel mix.
This was the storm that hit me when I arrived at Singleton
Route to Singleton
Sunrise behind the FJR
Simpsons Gap at near Alice Springs
From the creek bed
On the Road to Tennant Creek in the NT
Sunrise on the Barkly HWY
Searching for shade in the 42 degree heat - Barkly HWY
Gold Coast from Tamborine Mountain
Looking south from Tamborine Mountain - rain and more rain
Time to descend
The road south to the NSW border
This is where I stopped to mend a flat
All fixed and ready to roll - some cut the tails, I prefer to let them wear off
Main st of Grafton - gotta love those Jacarandas
Lunch at Glenreagh
The Big Banana at Coffs Harbour
Newell Falls on the road to Dorrigi - road surface was brilliant apart from water and diesel mix.
This was the storm that hit me when I arrived at Singleton
Route to Singleton
Cejay
Well-known member
Thanx Shiny, the pillow covers and the sheets are my wifes touch, communing with nature I guess...
Cejay
Well-known member
LAroo, cheers mate, have ridden over to Jindabyne and around the snowies on a number of occasions, back when I was a member of HRC and riding a Blackbird, do love the area. The rally I had been hoping to attend was the WIMA rally at Wee Jasper...
Thanks Reggie, I agree with you whole heartedly, its about the journey not the destination...
Cejay
Well-known member
Day Fifteen - I am so over the drought.
Up early to check the weather, still bloody raining, sit around and watch the rain all day. Spent time updating the forums, had to do it in little chunks due to piss-pore wifi connection. Have some images and will upload them soon, probably Saturday. Not much to report today, just wanna get back on the Yamahauler and ride some more.
Day Sixteen - Off to Canberra
Set the alarm for an early start as I wanted to reach Canberra early in the afternoon and get sorted with a van park. I had used up my allocation of Motel nights waiting for the rain to cease. Well guess what, 05:30am and it’s still flamin’ drizzling with rain, the sky is grey and temp is about 12 degrees, time to pack the bike and hook up the trailer.
The plan had been to ride south along the Putty Road (one of Oz’s great riding roads) to Kurrajong and then turn west towards Lithgow along the Bells Line Of Road (another on the list of top motorcycle roads). I had hoped to do it in the dry, I know! I can’t ride it the way it is meant to be ridden having the trailer in tow but was more interested in the road than the actual thrill factor of the twisty mountain roads. No such luck, as I turned on the Putty road although it was only spitting the road was quite damp and temp was now up to 14 Celsius. The road starts off with a series of light sweepers before swinging into a very scenic gorge and switching back and forth as it crosses and recrossed the creek, the surface at this point was fairly smooth and grippy, in spite of the dampness.
As I progressed, the road opened out into series of faster sweepers and the surface became more choppy, making for some interesting moments with the trailer pushing the back of the Yamahauler on some of the bumpier sections. Whilst riding, the appearance of numerous memorials of flowers and crosses is a sombre reminder of the very dear price some of us have paid for our passion.
Beginning the climb up to Colo Heights the rain is starting to intensify and as I pull over to fuel up it has settled in to a steady soaking rain, unfortunately the pumps here do not have cover so by the time I am finished I am truly saturated. Not far from here is the turn off that takes me to the start of Bells and the climb into the heart of the Blue Mountains. By now it is fair pissing down, the temp has fallen to 9 Celsius and visibility due to low cloud is down to about 80 metres.
I reckon that this would be a great ride on any other day, but I just wanted to get across the mountains to Lithgow with my life and bike intact. I arrived at Lithgow at about 10:00am and pulled into Maccas for a very welcoming double espresso. There were a group of bikers already taking advantage of the warming brew and after a brief chat and some advice about weather conditions it was time to head west to Bathurst.
Within 20 klms of Bathurst on the dual carriageway I caught sight of blue skies and saw shadows for the first time since leaving the Gold Coast, oh what a joy to feel the warming rays of the sun on my back and watch the temp climb up to 18 Celsius. I still had plenty of fuel and therefore continued south west out of Bathurst towards the small town of Cowra, the road was now dry and the grey skies had given way to blue with small fluffy white clouds.
By the time I arrived at Cowra for fuel and a lunch break the temp had risen to 24 and it was time to start stripping off layers of inner warmth. I was now only a couple of hundred klms from Canberra now and the rain drops had been replaced by insect spatter that soon covered both the bike and my visor. Raising the screen helped alleviate this and I was now cruising at a steady 115 kph with the rig running straight and true.
Cruising up to the ACT border it was once again time to stop and take the obligatory - crossing the border photo, a welcome chance to partake of a very juicy mandarin that I had to fight the flies for. From here it was only a very short run into Canberra and the search for a caravan park was on in earnest. I have visited Canberra on a number of occasions but not for many years, so although I had a feel for the layout of the town, I decided the information centre would be a good starting place for accommodation info.
Unfortunately this was not a very helpful move as nothing was advertised as a caravan park and listings were not related to maps. I then decided to do what all red blooded males do when looking for something - just go search and use intuition. After several dead ends, u-turns and missed roads I took the road out toward Queanbeyan and before long I had found the South Canberra Motor Inn, on the opposite side of the road.
Any port in a storm and I requested a powered site for two nights, “that will be $29.00 per night, would you like a bitumen site or lawn?” “lawn would be terrific” I replied, I should of known better, my site turned out to be sloping dirt with a gravel track surrounding it. Finding the flattest section I set up the camper under a very shady tree and wandered over to the tavern to stock up on important supplies - Beer, OJ and Milk. Armed with a bucket of water, chux super wipes and a Four XXXX it was time to remove days of road grime and bugs.
It was whilst cleaning the bike I received a phone call from Tryg of FJR13.ORG asking my location and requesting a meet. Tryg duly arrived after a brief ride around his home town, with another FJR rider in tow - Peter, and after introductions it was time for a coldie and a chance to swap yarns for a while. Peters FJR is a 2001 model I think but is was very clean and tidy - made my 2007 look decidedly used. Peter had to leave and after a long chat with Tryg we nipped out to put the nose bag on and a chance to find out where the local bike shops are located.
As it happened there were several bike shops close by so fitting a rear tyre on Monday should be a no brainer.
Distance travelled - 597 klms
Fuel Cost - $45.40
Snacks and drinks on the road - $16.30
Beer, OJ and Milk - $47.25
Arrival at the ACT border
Canberra FJRs
The route to Canberra
Up early to check the weather, still bloody raining, sit around and watch the rain all day. Spent time updating the forums, had to do it in little chunks due to piss-pore wifi connection. Have some images and will upload them soon, probably Saturday. Not much to report today, just wanna get back on the Yamahauler and ride some more.
Day Sixteen - Off to Canberra
Set the alarm for an early start as I wanted to reach Canberra early in the afternoon and get sorted with a van park. I had used up my allocation of Motel nights waiting for the rain to cease. Well guess what, 05:30am and it’s still flamin’ drizzling with rain, the sky is grey and temp is about 12 degrees, time to pack the bike and hook up the trailer.
The plan had been to ride south along the Putty Road (one of Oz’s great riding roads) to Kurrajong and then turn west towards Lithgow along the Bells Line Of Road (another on the list of top motorcycle roads). I had hoped to do it in the dry, I know! I can’t ride it the way it is meant to be ridden having the trailer in tow but was more interested in the road than the actual thrill factor of the twisty mountain roads. No such luck, as I turned on the Putty road although it was only spitting the road was quite damp and temp was now up to 14 Celsius. The road starts off with a series of light sweepers before swinging into a very scenic gorge and switching back and forth as it crosses and recrossed the creek, the surface at this point was fairly smooth and grippy, in spite of the dampness.
As I progressed, the road opened out into series of faster sweepers and the surface became more choppy, making for some interesting moments with the trailer pushing the back of the Yamahauler on some of the bumpier sections. Whilst riding, the appearance of numerous memorials of flowers and crosses is a sombre reminder of the very dear price some of us have paid for our passion.
Beginning the climb up to Colo Heights the rain is starting to intensify and as I pull over to fuel up it has settled in to a steady soaking rain, unfortunately the pumps here do not have cover so by the time I am finished I am truly saturated. Not far from here is the turn off that takes me to the start of Bells and the climb into the heart of the Blue Mountains. By now it is fair pissing down, the temp has fallen to 9 Celsius and visibility due to low cloud is down to about 80 metres.
I reckon that this would be a great ride on any other day, but I just wanted to get across the mountains to Lithgow with my life and bike intact. I arrived at Lithgow at about 10:00am and pulled into Maccas for a very welcoming double espresso. There were a group of bikers already taking advantage of the warming brew and after a brief chat and some advice about weather conditions it was time to head west to Bathurst.
Within 20 klms of Bathurst on the dual carriageway I caught sight of blue skies and saw shadows for the first time since leaving the Gold Coast, oh what a joy to feel the warming rays of the sun on my back and watch the temp climb up to 18 Celsius. I still had plenty of fuel and therefore continued south west out of Bathurst towards the small town of Cowra, the road was now dry and the grey skies had given way to blue with small fluffy white clouds.
By the time I arrived at Cowra for fuel and a lunch break the temp had risen to 24 and it was time to start stripping off layers of inner warmth. I was now only a couple of hundred klms from Canberra now and the rain drops had been replaced by insect spatter that soon covered both the bike and my visor. Raising the screen helped alleviate this and I was now cruising at a steady 115 kph with the rig running straight and true.
Cruising up to the ACT border it was once again time to stop and take the obligatory - crossing the border photo, a welcome chance to partake of a very juicy mandarin that I had to fight the flies for. From here it was only a very short run into Canberra and the search for a caravan park was on in earnest. I have visited Canberra on a number of occasions but not for many years, so although I had a feel for the layout of the town, I decided the information centre would be a good starting place for accommodation info.
Unfortunately this was not a very helpful move as nothing was advertised as a caravan park and listings were not related to maps. I then decided to do what all red blooded males do when looking for something - just go search and use intuition. After several dead ends, u-turns and missed roads I took the road out toward Queanbeyan and before long I had found the South Canberra Motor Inn, on the opposite side of the road.
Any port in a storm and I requested a powered site for two nights, “that will be $29.00 per night, would you like a bitumen site or lawn?” “lawn would be terrific” I replied, I should of known better, my site turned out to be sloping dirt with a gravel track surrounding it. Finding the flattest section I set up the camper under a very shady tree and wandered over to the tavern to stock up on important supplies - Beer, OJ and Milk. Armed with a bucket of water, chux super wipes and a Four XXXX it was time to remove days of road grime and bugs.
It was whilst cleaning the bike I received a phone call from Tryg of FJR13.ORG asking my location and requesting a meet. Tryg duly arrived after a brief ride around his home town, with another FJR rider in tow - Peter, and after introductions it was time for a coldie and a chance to swap yarns for a while. Peters FJR is a 2001 model I think but is was very clean and tidy - made my 2007 look decidedly used. Peter had to leave and after a long chat with Tryg we nipped out to put the nose bag on and a chance to find out where the local bike shops are located.
As it happened there were several bike shops close by so fitting a rear tyre on Monday should be a no brainer.
Distance travelled - 597 klms
Fuel Cost - $45.40
Snacks and drinks on the road - $16.30
Beer, OJ and Milk - $47.25
Arrival at the ACT border
Canberra FJRs
The route to Canberra
Niehart
Pie Smuggler
Keep the reports coming and the trailer behind you. Great read. Thx!
Cejay
Well-known member
Day Seventeen
Had planned to go for a run around Canberra and visit the sites today but had a few chores to complete first, laundry, clean and polish the bike and sort out my shit. So off to the local shop for milk and coins for the laundry, “sorry you don’t need change for washing machine you must purchase a token from the front office for $3.00 but I can give you some change for the dryers”.
Anyways the washing is on and it is time to restore the Yam to the state it used to be in before I left home, now some people would refer to me as a clean freak but I figure, you pay close to AUS$25K for a cycle why not keep it in top condition… so out with the Armorall and polishing rags and into the job at hand. Twenty five minutes and its up to shift the washing into the dryer and back to cleaning the FJR, it really is starting to look smart now, after the drier has finished the bike is almost completed and I figurer that deserves a cold one.
A few cold ones later and I am in the mood for a Jim Beam Small Batch, that really hit the spot but now I’ve had too much to ride so I ring the SO. Its about this time that I realise that in 25 plus years of marriage we have never been apart so long, jeez I miss the old girl…
After a brief yarn (90 mins) in which I tell her how much I miss her and VikiVerki, I suggest that I might head west tomorrow instead of east. SO says well that would be great but that’s up to you. By this time half a bottle of small batch has disappeared and I am feeling very melancholy, I then start to ring everybody on my phones address list (including my old Honda/Yamaha Dealer) in alphabetical order, I apologise for anybody after H as I was running out of credit and JB.
A few guys turned up on my doorstep and remarked on how they could not believe that a motorcycle could tow a trailer the size I had, I assured them that there eyes were not deceiving them and agreed to meet them at the local tavern for a coldie to further discuss my adventures. Not long after, I made my way across to the local and after a quiet pint (schooner) on my own was soon in deep discussion with a local who rode a GTR1000, one drink led too another and followed by too many butterscotch schnapps it was soon time for bed.
Day Eighteen
Well once again I awake with the worlds worst hangover, my head hurts so bad that all I want is some paracetamol and I will sell both my soul and the FJR. I know that I have none but in desperation I start digging through every pocket, nook, cranny and possible storage location, eventually finding my secret emergency store (I knew there was a reason behind hiding these pills). Taking two with a long cold OJ I retire back to the sleeping bag vowing not to get up for three months.
About 40 minutes later the previous days events begin to trickle back in to my sad and sorry excuse for a brain and I realise that yep, I still miss the missus something fierce, it is time to head for home. In my drunken state from the night before I had neglected to cover the bike and sure enough it had rained overnight, this entailed a minor tidy up to return the FJR to its former glory. By 10:00am I was wrapped, packed and strapped ready to roll.
It was then I remembered the state of my rear tyre, bollocks… I could have gone over to one of the local bike shops and had a new tyre fitted but I was never the most sensible person in the universe and I did remember Tryg and Peter saying the other day that the tyre still looked good for 1000ks on the sides. Well! do I put a new tyre on for the trip home and have it rooted by the trip or do I take a chance and go for it. No contest, this has been that sort of a trip of course I decided to risk it.
I figured that rather than go back through the middle of Canberra it would be easier to head to Queanbeyan then swing north to northeast around the top of Canberra towards Yass and the Hume. Wrong… after 30 klms of side streets and back roads I was finally heading out of Canberra on the same road I had arrived on and heading for home.
Because of the fact that I had decided to risk the rear tyre I was paranoid about the condition of said rubber and every 100 klms I was pulling over to check the condition. By lunchtime the temperature was already up to 30 Celsius, not what I wanted for a seriously sick rear tyre with a 200 kg trailer in tow. At Wagga I pulled over for a drink outside the Yamaha dealer, this was to be my last chance to replace the rear tyre, temp was 34 and the rear was extremely hot and stressed. It still did not look any worse than when I left so I made the dubious decision to continue.
The next stop was to be Narrandera about 100 klms down the road but as the temperature began to climb toward 37, I thought that after 70 klms I best check the tyre, that and the fact that the fruit police threatened me with life imprisonment if I did not eat my two remaining mandarins before progressing further. To my great chagrin the rear tyre had started balling up and rubber could be seen peeling of the centre of the tyre. Do I go back to Wagga or keep going… Yep that’s right, keep going, with all the shit that’s happened so far I might as well continue to tempt fate.
That’s when I found the detour on the other side of Narrandera due to bridge work, so intent was I on the fact that I had to add extra klms to my trip and the fact that the road was actually melting due to the heat (what is it doing to my tyre) that I did not realise that my next fuel stop was Hay 270 klms away. I had last put fuel in back at Gundagai, over 150 klms previous. A quick check of my current fuel consumption and I ascertained that with very careful manage I could make this distance, the question was would the tyre.
About 50 klms further on I stopped and checked the condition and temperature of the tyre, although the tyre was very hot it did not seem too bad, some more balling but it seemed to be holding up, only 225 klms to Hay. A couple more stops and the results seemed to be constant, I figured if it still looked ok at Hay I was going to up my speed from 85 kph (my tyre conservation speed) to about 110 kph.
The Hay plain has to be one of the most boring stretches of road and travelling at less than 90 kph for over 250 klms in 37 Celsius is not the most fun I kid you not. As luck would have it and after a quick check and a refuel at Darlington Point still over 100 klms from Hay, the tyre looked to be fine and I upped the anti. By the time I left hay, heading for Balranald the sun was low in the west - read directly in my line of site and I was looking forward to a decrease in the road temperature. In the next 130 klms it dropped to 32 Celsius, but it gave me some relief and the confidence to push on.
Beyond Balranald and the run to Mildura (where my SO had suggested I should stop for the night) I was in sunset and the next issue to raise its head was the Roo Factor. Well I actually made it to Mildura without seeing a single roo and with the clock showing 10:00pm I was looking for somewhere to possibly stop. The rear tyre still holding up and the temperature now down to 25 I was beginning to get a second wind. I stopped at the side of the road on the western outskirts of town for a break and a cold drink, it was then that a station wagon loaded with youths screamed around a nearby roundabout, with one youth hanging out of the window yelling “there he is”, as I realised he was pointing to me and understanding the vulnerability of my position I edged toward the gear sack where my hunting knife was located. As it happens I need not have worried the five youths in the car were more interested in the fact that a motorcycle could tow such a huge trailer, they had seen me come through town and wanted a closer look.
It was now less than 420 klms to home and I felt confident in the tyre and my own ability to make the journey, so as long as I did not hit a roo all would be well. At Yamba just over the SA border the fruit police made me open the fridge to prove I was not carrying any contraband and after a short stop for fuel and a drink I felt like I was almost home. The temp had now dropped to below 20 and as I was still riding in only light summer gear I was really starting to feel the chill.
By the time I reached Blanchetown, with only 110 klms to go I was freezing my arse off and had to stop for a hot coffee, some food and a chance to dig my winter jacket out of the trailer. After a chat with a couple of eastbound truckies about my rig and the road conditions I remarked that in over 8,000 klms I had not seen a live roo. One truckie warned that there were a couple of six footers at the side of the road about 10 klms west and I should hold my nose as I approached the base of Accommodation Hill due to a slowly decaying wombat.
I thought yeah right, anyways 10 klms down the road I nearly shat at the sight of this giant roo at the side of the road and the silhouette of its mate not far away, bastard did not even flinch as I rode by. Sure enough I smelt that bloody wombat as I hit the hill and that truckie had not exaggerated, it was rank. After the hill it is only about 40 mins to home and with the tyre holding up and me feeling snug and warm I was looking forward to pulling into the drive.
Just pulling into Nuriootpa less that 25 mins from home I caught sight of a large shape in the centre of the oncoming lane, instinct told me it was a roo and after swiftly dropping down through the gears I approached a 5 foot roo in the centre of the road at a very safe 15 kph, this roo eventually hopped away to the verge as I passed and the rest of my journey was uneventful. After an 1150 klms day/nighter I pulled into the drive at 02:00am and scared the shit out of the SO and the dogs.
IN SUMMARY
This was a trip I had to have, I had planned to take another 4wd trip through the Simpson Desert, but prior to my SO taking her holiday to Bali she had suggested that we needed to get back into bikes and rekindle a part of our lives that had been missing for many years. That was the best advice I have had for a long time, we are now closer than ever and she is now looking for another Virago for herself, I thank everybody who has taken the time to read my thread, it has been a real adventure for me and I plan to be a regular on all three of the forums I have been posting this tale.
Cheers and Beers
CEJAY
Had planned to go for a run around Canberra and visit the sites today but had a few chores to complete first, laundry, clean and polish the bike and sort out my shit. So off to the local shop for milk and coins for the laundry, “sorry you don’t need change for washing machine you must purchase a token from the front office for $3.00 but I can give you some change for the dryers”.
Anyways the washing is on and it is time to restore the Yam to the state it used to be in before I left home, now some people would refer to me as a clean freak but I figure, you pay close to AUS$25K for a cycle why not keep it in top condition… so out with the Armorall and polishing rags and into the job at hand. Twenty five minutes and its up to shift the washing into the dryer and back to cleaning the FJR, it really is starting to look smart now, after the drier has finished the bike is almost completed and I figurer that deserves a cold one.
A few cold ones later and I am in the mood for a Jim Beam Small Batch, that really hit the spot but now I’ve had too much to ride so I ring the SO. Its about this time that I realise that in 25 plus years of marriage we have never been apart so long, jeez I miss the old girl…
After a brief yarn (90 mins) in which I tell her how much I miss her and VikiVerki, I suggest that I might head west tomorrow instead of east. SO says well that would be great but that’s up to you. By this time half a bottle of small batch has disappeared and I am feeling very melancholy, I then start to ring everybody on my phones address list (including my old Honda/Yamaha Dealer) in alphabetical order, I apologise for anybody after H as I was running out of credit and JB.
A few guys turned up on my doorstep and remarked on how they could not believe that a motorcycle could tow a trailer the size I had, I assured them that there eyes were not deceiving them and agreed to meet them at the local tavern for a coldie to further discuss my adventures. Not long after, I made my way across to the local and after a quiet pint (schooner) on my own was soon in deep discussion with a local who rode a GTR1000, one drink led too another and followed by too many butterscotch schnapps it was soon time for bed.
Day Eighteen
Well once again I awake with the worlds worst hangover, my head hurts so bad that all I want is some paracetamol and I will sell both my soul and the FJR. I know that I have none but in desperation I start digging through every pocket, nook, cranny and possible storage location, eventually finding my secret emergency store (I knew there was a reason behind hiding these pills). Taking two with a long cold OJ I retire back to the sleeping bag vowing not to get up for three months.
About 40 minutes later the previous days events begin to trickle back in to my sad and sorry excuse for a brain and I realise that yep, I still miss the missus something fierce, it is time to head for home. In my drunken state from the night before I had neglected to cover the bike and sure enough it had rained overnight, this entailed a minor tidy up to return the FJR to its former glory. By 10:00am I was wrapped, packed and strapped ready to roll.
It was then I remembered the state of my rear tyre, bollocks… I could have gone over to one of the local bike shops and had a new tyre fitted but I was never the most sensible person in the universe and I did remember Tryg and Peter saying the other day that the tyre still looked good for 1000ks on the sides. Well! do I put a new tyre on for the trip home and have it rooted by the trip or do I take a chance and go for it. No contest, this has been that sort of a trip of course I decided to risk it.
I figured that rather than go back through the middle of Canberra it would be easier to head to Queanbeyan then swing north to northeast around the top of Canberra towards Yass and the Hume. Wrong… after 30 klms of side streets and back roads I was finally heading out of Canberra on the same road I had arrived on and heading for home.
Because of the fact that I had decided to risk the rear tyre I was paranoid about the condition of said rubber and every 100 klms I was pulling over to check the condition. By lunchtime the temperature was already up to 30 Celsius, not what I wanted for a seriously sick rear tyre with a 200 kg trailer in tow. At Wagga I pulled over for a drink outside the Yamaha dealer, this was to be my last chance to replace the rear tyre, temp was 34 and the rear was extremely hot and stressed. It still did not look any worse than when I left so I made the dubious decision to continue.
The next stop was to be Narrandera about 100 klms down the road but as the temperature began to climb toward 37, I thought that after 70 klms I best check the tyre, that and the fact that the fruit police threatened me with life imprisonment if I did not eat my two remaining mandarins before progressing further. To my great chagrin the rear tyre had started balling up and rubber could be seen peeling of the centre of the tyre. Do I go back to Wagga or keep going… Yep that’s right, keep going, with all the shit that’s happened so far I might as well continue to tempt fate.
That’s when I found the detour on the other side of Narrandera due to bridge work, so intent was I on the fact that I had to add extra klms to my trip and the fact that the road was actually melting due to the heat (what is it doing to my tyre) that I did not realise that my next fuel stop was Hay 270 klms away. I had last put fuel in back at Gundagai, over 150 klms previous. A quick check of my current fuel consumption and I ascertained that with very careful manage I could make this distance, the question was would the tyre.
About 50 klms further on I stopped and checked the condition and temperature of the tyre, although the tyre was very hot it did not seem too bad, some more balling but it seemed to be holding up, only 225 klms to Hay. A couple more stops and the results seemed to be constant, I figured if it still looked ok at Hay I was going to up my speed from 85 kph (my tyre conservation speed) to about 110 kph.
The Hay plain has to be one of the most boring stretches of road and travelling at less than 90 kph for over 250 klms in 37 Celsius is not the most fun I kid you not. As luck would have it and after a quick check and a refuel at Darlington Point still over 100 klms from Hay, the tyre looked to be fine and I upped the anti. By the time I left hay, heading for Balranald the sun was low in the west - read directly in my line of site and I was looking forward to a decrease in the road temperature. In the next 130 klms it dropped to 32 Celsius, but it gave me some relief and the confidence to push on.
Beyond Balranald and the run to Mildura (where my SO had suggested I should stop for the night) I was in sunset and the next issue to raise its head was the Roo Factor. Well I actually made it to Mildura without seeing a single roo and with the clock showing 10:00pm I was looking for somewhere to possibly stop. The rear tyre still holding up and the temperature now down to 25 I was beginning to get a second wind. I stopped at the side of the road on the western outskirts of town for a break and a cold drink, it was then that a station wagon loaded with youths screamed around a nearby roundabout, with one youth hanging out of the window yelling “there he is”, as I realised he was pointing to me and understanding the vulnerability of my position I edged toward the gear sack where my hunting knife was located. As it happens I need not have worried the five youths in the car were more interested in the fact that a motorcycle could tow such a huge trailer, they had seen me come through town and wanted a closer look.
It was now less than 420 klms to home and I felt confident in the tyre and my own ability to make the journey, so as long as I did not hit a roo all would be well. At Yamba just over the SA border the fruit police made me open the fridge to prove I was not carrying any contraband and after a short stop for fuel and a drink I felt like I was almost home. The temp had now dropped to below 20 and as I was still riding in only light summer gear I was really starting to feel the chill.
By the time I reached Blanchetown, with only 110 klms to go I was freezing my arse off and had to stop for a hot coffee, some food and a chance to dig my winter jacket out of the trailer. After a chat with a couple of eastbound truckies about my rig and the road conditions I remarked that in over 8,000 klms I had not seen a live roo. One truckie warned that there were a couple of six footers at the side of the road about 10 klms west and I should hold my nose as I approached the base of Accommodation Hill due to a slowly decaying wombat.
I thought yeah right, anyways 10 klms down the road I nearly shat at the sight of this giant roo at the side of the road and the silhouette of its mate not far away, bastard did not even flinch as I rode by. Sure enough I smelt that bloody wombat as I hit the hill and that truckie had not exaggerated, it was rank. After the hill it is only about 40 mins to home and with the tyre holding up and me feeling snug and warm I was looking forward to pulling into the drive.
Just pulling into Nuriootpa less that 25 mins from home I caught sight of a large shape in the centre of the oncoming lane, instinct told me it was a roo and after swiftly dropping down through the gears I approached a 5 foot roo in the centre of the road at a very safe 15 kph, this roo eventually hopped away to the verge as I passed and the rest of my journey was uneventful. After an 1150 klms day/nighter I pulled into the drive at 02:00am and scared the shit out of the SO and the dogs.
IN SUMMARY
This was a trip I had to have, I had planned to take another 4wd trip through the Simpson Desert, but prior to my SO taking her holiday to Bali she had suggested that we needed to get back into bikes and rekindle a part of our lives that had been missing for many years. That was the best advice I have had for a long time, we are now closer than ever and she is now looking for another Virago for herself, I thank everybody who has taken the time to read my thread, it has been a real adventure for me and I plan to be a regular on all three of the forums I have been posting this tale.
Cheers and Beers
CEJAY
pickax
Well-known member
Thanks Cejay, it's been a great read. Here's to many more to come!
Great read mate! An adventure anybody would be proud of, and I enjoyed it thoroughly :clapping: :clapping: . Hope to read another of your adventures when you have the chance. I appreciate the effort you made to give us the pics and details. I think you deserve another cold one!
krashdragon
Well-known member
WooHoo!
That was so cool I think I'll go back and reread the whole trip over agian!
Hope to hear about your next trip with you and your wife.... <G>
Ride safe!
Mary
That was so cool I think I'll go back and reread the whole trip over agian!
Hope to hear about your next trip with you and your wife.... <G>
Ride safe!
Mary
Cejay
Well-known member
Cheers people twas my pleasure, have to find a job now to pay for it, have an interview this arvo, next trip will be Philip Island for the WSB. That will be with my wife and Trailer. After that back up to Townsville for Ulysses AGM, solo and no trailer.
Cejay
Cejay
FJR Steve
Well-known member
excellent Smithers Cejay
:clapping:
As said on other forums...luv ya work mate. You are Australia's version of "Long Way Round"
:clapping:
As said on other forums...luv ya work mate. You are Australia's version of "Long Way Round"
Cejay
Well-known member
Ye Ha! Got the job, start tomorrow, driving semis delivering transportable buildings, a chance to hit the highway and visit the bush again and get paid for it.
