Trip Report

[ribbert]

......Unless someone comes up with an interesting topic in the next 24 hours I'm going to post a trip report tomorrow night, you have been warned.

Noel

Sorry, the impacted bowel was a sterling effort but didn't quite make the grade.


Last week I went for a 2500 km ride to an historic vehicle event interstate.
I have to been taking this car to the same biennial event for the last 16 years.





It's a 1500 km round trip by the most direct and boring route and the last 6 years I have been lucky to have someone tow it over for me and I get to ride some fabulous roads over there and back.


Heading out of a storm into a magnificent sunset on the Great Ocean Road day 1


This was on my doorstep the next morning, hundreds of kilometres of it.


.... and more around the corner. Photo taken from the road.


Historic and picturesque fishing townships dot the rugged South Coast


An allaming site out my motel door in the morning


A brief glimpse of Australia's mightiest river, the Murrasippi, near it's mouth.


The event is for pre 1950 cars and bikes. It is slowly being nobbled by regulations and the fun police and now only attracts about 1000 vehicles (from a peak of about 2500) It still remains the biggest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere though.
Needless to say the bikes and cars are spectacular and date back to the very early 1900's. The unrestored ones being my favourites.


This one not only carried a pump on the running board but a bead breaker as well

Most of the participants dress in period costume which adds to the atmosphere. The event finishes at the National Motor Museum which in itself has an amazing collection of vehicles and memorabilia. It is located in a small picturesque town (the main street is only 500 metres long) 60 kms into the country from a major city and is an ideal setting.
With travel to and from our accommodation, it's about a 200km day in the old girl. I decided this years event would be its swansong at that event as I find it increasingly difficult to drive it that far each year as both the car and my body continue to fall apart and wear out. It's a lot of fun to drive but very uncomfortable.


Gears AND brakes of RHS


No rubber brake lines to perish here!

The accelerator pedal is in the centre between the clutch and brake, as was the norm back then, which means no one else drives it if there's anything around to run into.
I thought of Capn'Ron when approached by some camera waving Japanese tourists asking to be photographed with it when we pulled over en route for a leg stretch.

For my ride over I headed off with the usual tool kit and spares ( a coil, fuel pump and ignition box)  these being the only things that can't be jury rigged on the side of the road. Well, the fuel pump can but then it only cost $25
I also always have a spare key and $100 note stashed on the bike.
Against my better judgment, but as usual, I fiddled with the FJ just prior to leaving. I made some changes without having time to sort them properly and the handling was a little compromised. Not enough to spoil the trip though. (Doug, I could only steer it 95% with my eyes)

I was disappointed I didn't have time to attend to some tuning items before I left. The carbs haven't been synched since the valves were done, it's spitting at low revs, the idle is rough etc but once on the road, all that is forgotten as you spend very little time there at low revs and as usual it is super smooth at highway speeds.

I started out with my tyres over inflated and the first leg of my trip was twisties in the rain and it gave me a few moments that I wasn't expecting and it rattled me a bit. Anyway, I left them at that for 1000 km  to take in some of the higher speed dry roads.
I'm sure there are loads and speeds where max pressure is suitable but I don't like it for general riding.

It was my first decent run with the new Scott eSystem oiler and my second trip with the recently fitted ZZZ chain. No lubing, no adjusting, love it!! Who needs a shaft!

Tankslapper protective film is now well into bonus time and still performing well. It's great just peeling it off when you get home to reveal showroom shine on the tank where previously I would be cutting and polishing out the abrasions.

The GPS HUD that reflects my speed onto the inside of my screen remains my favourite and most used mod. It works perfectly and way exceeds my expectations for usefulness. The display is just under my line of sight.
There was no novelty to this, it is just such a good idea it feels like it should always have been there.



My Oxford grips have lasted so long (about 6 years and tons of use) the LH side has now worn thin and developed a hot spot as a result. Fortunately you can buy just the grips (that's the complete grip with heating and wiring) individually.

With much time on the road I thought of many things that have been covered on the forum in recent times. I will not mention any of them for fear or re igniting debate but one observation was to confirm something I thought at the time re that video of the guy ploughing into the car at 97mph. If travelling at highway speeds, there is no way, if you are looking, that an oncoming car can slow enough to do 90 deg turn and it's reduced speed not be obvious, and if that coincides with an upcoming side road(in this case a well marked one) I would be hard on the brakes by virtue of his slowed speed alone as a precaution. I don't think the guy was looking. There was also a slight delay from when the viewer could see the car was commencing a turn and the rider reacting.

The FJ performed flawlessly and seemed to like it's new plugs and battery.
I spent most of the trip cruising between 4000 and 5000 rpm and to hell with fuel economy or whatever other reason you'd want to lower the revs for cruising, I don't like the sound or feel of my engine under 4k but it gets really sweet above it, the harmonics just seem to suit the bike and the engine, it's happy at those revs and if it's happy, I'm happy. I can't speak for the characteristics of the non rubber mounted motors.

My luggage, while looking a little bulky, weighed 30 kgs with probably ¾  of that in the forward bag on the seat. It had no impact on handling.
 
Arriving at my destination early on the third day I managed a visit to an historic Maritime precinct and museum and an Aviation museum. The Spitfire they have on display was last flown in WW2 by someone I knew. (he was a lot older than me!) In an ironic twist, he survived against the odds as a front line fighter pilot and died falling from a ladder at his house a few years back.



This connection got me a tour of the workshop and restoration area and access to anything I wanted to crawl in, over or through. They have a few radials and a Merlin they fire up on "engine days" and a great selection of aircraft. I've been to a few air museums but none give access to the aircraft on display like this one.


Amazing when you think that this Air Force flight simulator was state of the art at the time



I was reminded how lucky I was having the roads to myself (thankyou Mr. Garmin) and also considered my loathing of traffic and that the best motorbike roads in the world aren't worth a cracker if riding in a procession or held up by traffic.
Travelling remote roads mid week mostly through State and National Parks I had the entire trip, all bar the last 80km home, on near empty roads, as in 3 or 4 cars an hour, sometimes less.

Nothing beats the second day of a road trip on a bike when you wake up on the road, and head off for another days riding in same direction. I live in a big city and part of the fun of being on a trip is the roads you would normally spend hours getting to are on your doorstep first thing in the morning.

On the return trip I thought of Capn' Ron again, passing through the Coonawarra region. The soil in this area is unique in the world for grape growing and I doubt there is a winemaker in the world who is not aware of it's existence. There are 15,000 acres under grapes and world class reds are produced there. A shame I was on the bike and in a hurry.



I took a shortcut through Gareth's (Mr Blackstock) backyard in a bid to get home before dusk and Kangaroos.




The weekend had my head filled with the wonderful sights, sounds, smells and the feel of old ships, planes, cars and motorbikes from a previous area, a sore arse from the rally and some of the year's best riding, so far.

Much of the appeal of this trip (in fact every trip) for me was the remoteness of the area I was riding through and this can't be conveyed in photos.

As has become standard practice for me and mentioned here before, many times while riding I think about what a new bike could do for me at that very moment, better than the FJ. Short of a Kangaroo jumping out on wet roads and wishing I had ABS, not much.

Although this trip was dry bar a few showers, I have ridden through more rain this year than ever and hard luggage has moved well up the list. Soft luggage sucks when riding in solid rain day after day.

You know it's been a great ride when the nearer you get to home the more depressed you get, because it's almost over.

As many here know, there is nothing, nothing at all like a road trip on a bike.


(sigh) If only they did!


I know I posted this the other day but I love it

Noel

[novaraptor]

Very nice report, wonderful pics.. I don't think you have to threaten us very much... Thanks for the eye candy..

[FJmonkey]

Very nice report Noel. Makes me want to visit even more and ride the same roads. Thanks.

[Dan Filetti]

Soft luggage sucks when riding in solid rain day after day.

Nice trip report Noel, and a nice car you have there.  Thank you for posting.

Regarding soft luggage and rain, I am not sure I share your opinion, entirely.  I have a set of Nelson Riggs bags that I have ridden in very heavy, very prolonged rain and nothing inside has gotten wet.  They have a sturdy rain cover that seems to do a good job of keeping the rain out.   Still to your point, perhaps, fucking with the covers just to access your bag contents, is a PITA.  Adapting to my circumstances, I guess, I usually ensure anything I may need for the day is in my tank bag. 

Cheers,

Dan

[FJmonkey]

If it helps, I found that if anticipating rain with soft bags, I inserted a heavy duty trash bag in first. Then any leaks did not get my stuff wet. Still a PIA, but functional and less expensive than hard bags. If I had my choice, hard bags that sealed for longer trips.

[Bones]

Great pics and story Cap'n Noel, are you sure you work for a living Noel, as you always seem to be out on the bike somewhere exploring this great country of ours.( jealous). Interesting to see your speedo showing 125kmh and the GPS reading 117kph, I didn't think they were that far out, have to check mine next time the GPS is fitted. Anyway I'm off to work, surely you know what that is.

                                                  Tony.

[ken65]

Thanks for that Noel.

[Pat Conlon]

What an enjoyable read! Great pictures!  You had me right there with you....

Thank you Noel

[movenon]

Great post Noel  .  Refreshing 
George

[The General]

Mate, nothing like a trip report ta get us back on track. I needed that, many thanks.

Got me thinking about a roadie to Broadford next Easter. Will finalise that plan today!

[oldktmdude]

   Thanks for the trip report Noel. Brought back the memories of our recent ride along the Great Ocean Road at the end of June this year. The weather you had looks to be a lot more bike friendly than the torrential downpours and wild wind that we endured. Still, the fantastic scenery and good company was more than enough to make up for the shortfall in weather conditions.

Mate, nothing like a trip report ta get us back on track. I needed that, many thanks.

Got me thinking about a roadie to Broadford next Easter. Will finalise that plan today!

Doug, don't forget to put my name on the list for that weekend.      Pete.

[roverfj1200]

Finally some FJ stuff and old cars. Thanks...

[Bones]

Can you give us a bit of info on the old red car Noel, make, model , engine, etc....please. I'm guessing a Buggati of some sort, It's got an arse end like an old race car.

                                                            Tony.

[FJscott]

Great report! Spectacular pictures.
Thanks for sharing Noel

Scott

[charleygofast]

Beau tilfull story and pics. Noel, thanks for posting something to make us all feel good and maybe a little jealous!!!                                                                                                       Cheers!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Charley.