Two Pub Tour

With all the rain of late I was hopeful of getting a fine Sunday and despite some scattered showers yesterday it turned out to be a classic hot summer day here in the sub tropics.

Old fruit stall Currumbin range

I set off about 7.30am and decided to make the most of it and go large. From the Gold Coast I rode over Currumbin, Burrinbgah range, Coolamon Scenic road to Federal via Mullumbimby and ended up at Eltham Pub. The guy that runs the hippie bus tours out of Byron Bay must be doing good, he started with a mini bus some time ago but today had two larger buses of back packers there chugging beers.  I had intended to stay for lunch however they have downsized the bar menu to snack items and the restaurant was too far the other side of the scales.

Burringbah Range

I rode up the hill and tried Clunes café but they were closing the kitchen despite it being just after 12:00  (NSW time) ?? it's really a shame, I used to like making this area my destination for lunch. A friend I met at Eltham suggested a run over to Uki via same roads except via Stokers siding after Burrinbah range. This went well and Uki Pub always a good spot to stop and chat, never too crowded and nice to sit out the front and watch the bikes go by.

Lots of resurfacing going on around here.

After a long lunch I had to pick up the pace a bit as some rain was forming on Mt Warning. The rain came in rather quick and was just behind me by the border with an occasional drop on the visor however the hills slowed it down and I made my escape to stay dry all the way home.

Advancetown

Terrific days riding, I was wanting to do more photography but that idea got dashed once I agreed to relocate lunch. Good excuse to try again another day.

View todays route here

2012

Revised Jan 23.

Just realised I had not posted anything for a month. I guess between my laptop packing it in and holiday season the time just got away. I have been doing some travel as well as changing work so busy times. 
Todays desktop on my new laptop is an inspiration. This is the Troll Road in Norway which I was at the base of a long time ago but unable to ascend as the waterfall you see was still frozen solid over the road.



Currently trying to firm up my plans for this years motorcycle tour and have switched from the big USA ride plan to a smaller USA ride due to health and changing work thus losing the opportunity to take longer holidays.

I want to ride four areas I am calling the West, Northwest, Southeast and the Northeast. I have chosen to put the Northeast on hold and focus on the Rocky Mountains in the Northwest and the Smokey Mountains in the Southeast.

I have actually already been to California (and Texas). I traveled many nice roads in a rental Ford Mustang quite some years ago and the scenery is very similar to the countryside here where I live. Whilst the ocean road is famous it is also busy with slow cars (like our ocean road). So I would like to revisit however I also want to visit Colorado and hard to do both without lots of time. (Edit - I just have to ride California) 

So meanwhile 50 different planning scenarios later on the Ride with GPS site I think I might have a bit of a plan. (Edit - actually I am back to square one ...)  I had been thinking to rent from Fly Ride USA in Bend Oregon but once I try to include CA and CO it goes from under two weeks to over three weeks without trying plus you seem to loose a full day getting into and out of Bend with the flights. I was leaning towards a one way rental from Eagle Rider but would have to be LA or perhaps Denver as many of their depots only have Harleys and I need a sport tourer for the curves.

My original route was to go via the Grand Canyon, then Monument Valley and into Colorado but alot of straight roads until the good stuff...  Through Colorado and on to Yellowstone then over the Beartooth highway rated best motorcycle road in the USA but again a lot of straight road before and after. Then north over more ranges then Flathead lake and Going to the Sun road. Crossing into Canada I want to ride some of the Kokanee roads.

I have driven a car around some of BC Canada and especially would like to ride the roads east of Whistler but will see how the miles add up.
 
That sounds a lot but it actually would be about 11/12 days at a very conservative average daily distance of 450km. That sort of distance on the New Zealand tour worked out well with easy starts each morning, plenty of time for stopping and still be off the road by around 4pm each afternoon. I would add on an additional day rental as a contingency as well to try manage weather or health as needed.  

After this the plan is fly to Knoxville and rent for a couple of days from Sportsbikes4Hire to do an over night loop covering parts of the very famous roads nearby. Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway and of course the Tail of the Dragon.

I really want to ride North American this year but sure is hard to string good roads together. A few people have suggested I should go for the twisty roads of Europe again but I am not ready to quit on this plan just yet.

More New Zealand motorcycle tour

I have finally had some time to edit all the video footage I was provided of the New Zealand ride I completed last November, but it is no Spielberg.

This was shot with a GoPro HD camera and all these action cams use a wide angle lens which when mounted high on a helmet of a rider has the unfortunate effect of slowing down movement yet remains not wide enough to capture all the scenery the rider can see while riding. Thus the footage of roads all seems to look alike to viewers so I have trimmed about 8 hours to 4 1/2 minutes.
There is no music, you can mute the wind noise rather then put up with some dumb soundtrack, the bike sometimes in front of the camera bike is me. If you click to watch on Youtube up size it to 480 res and it will look much better that size than the default low res.

Edit: have uploaded it to Vimeo as YouTube repeatedly damaged the file.

My original report and photos on his ride is here
As promised a few extra photos as well:
















I have been out for a couple of rides here but could not get motivated to write about them after the splendor of riding New Zealand.

Review Held RainStar gloves

Back online after having to replace my laptop. Only so much I can do on an iPad so glad to have a proper computer again.

At the risk of sounding like a Held Gloves fanboy – the Held RainStar gloves are truly the best gloves I have ever used and exceeded my expectations by a large margin.

I have gone through a number of gloves, more than most people because I have that dermatitis issue. I need very comfortable gloves that will not chaff in even minute amounts. What seems comfortable can still rub a bit and then I have medical problems. The gloves that are lined are a level above unlined gloves for comfort but these are mostly limited to winter use. Besides being obviously too hot for our summers perspiration is another enemy for me.

The Held RainStar gloves have a pique push pull liner with something they call Outlast which is a phase change material. The thinking is the material can hold or disperse heat to regulate the temperature in glove. Now this to me sounded like advertising spin so I did not buy the gloves for this idea whatsoever – but they may be onto something. Riding New Zealand I never had to use my glove liners despite riding in very cold temperatures and the gloves were comfortable on warmer days as well. Back here I wore them on that freak Sunday in November that hit 35 and they were more comfortable than they had any right to be.

The Gore-tex lets them breath well and this is a key element to their effectiveness. I might also be staring to believe some other marketing spin - that says Gore-tex is superior to the other material used in waterproof rider gear. I know that gear I have with other brand name waterproof material simply does not breath as well.

Safety wise they have all you would expect and I won’t go into the multiple layers. Not a cheap glove, I purchased from Revzilla in USA, who I can recommend, these are probably gloves for someone with either a need or desire for the very best and willing to pay accordingly.

Motorcycle touring New Zealand

New Zealand is a wonderful place to ride a motorcycle. I just had a week and a half riding the south island and apart from some mixed weather at first I have to say it was some of the best riding I have ever experienced.
I flew into Christchurch to meet a mate who was joining me on this ride and wow that city is really in bad shape from the earthquake. The TV cameras have long gone but the damage lives on with the majority of the downtown and neighboring areas one huge ghost town looking like something out of a WW2 movie. I have to suggest if you are going there to stay out of town as there simply is nothing open in the centre in the way of food etc.
I had booked a Suzuki Vstrom with City Motorcycle rentals Christchurch and the owners really looked after me before and after, very friendly - highly recommended.

Plan was to do a leisurely loop around the south island with plenty of time spare to allow for weather and sightseeing. First of all went to the West Coast over Authur’s Pass and via Lake Brunner. Beautiful scenery and great sweepers to ride. After this I rode north to Westport along the coast. This road easy equals our Great Ocean Road for beautiful scenery and great curves that never let up for 90km.  Like most of New Zealand it has generous road speed limits and low to zero police patrols outside of major towns.

I really liked riding the Northern part of the South Island. There is a network of roads servicing the rural areas that are all well surveyed and surfaced with next to no traffic. You need to plan your fuel as services can be few and far between but this isolation was something I enjoyed. The Buller Gorge area was particularly good riding. The Lewis Pass also a lot of fun and I would explore the area north to Picton more if I was to go again.

Riding down the west coast is at times dramatic as you skirt the ocean then have the mountains rise up as you get closer to Franz Joseph. I have already done the helicopter to the top of the alps so just chilled in town while my mate experienced it, well worth the money if you are there sometime in my opinion.

The Alps recede as you once again skirt the ocean riding south. There is a almost tropical feel to the vegetation but only for a short time before you turn left and climb up into the high mountains. Riding over Mt Aspiring you can enjoy a series of sweepers that go on and on, beautiful riding before exiting the mountain to Lake Wanaka where you hug the cliff for some exciting twisty road riding.



About now I had accustomed to the Vstrom and will try explain my thoughts on it from my riding experience. Being high it certainly felt like a large bike compared to most I have ridden however it is not as heavy so not difficult to ride at low speed like some large bikes tend to be. All day comfortable seating and very stable in the sweepers, these would be the bikes strong points. Less willing to provide a quick change of direction and on twisty roads quite a bit of work to drop in and come out of switchbacks would be the weak points but perhaps not really the design of the bike. I would have liked a little more passing power but got used to working the gear box which is smooth. I experienced a lot of wind buffering to my helmet despite adjusting the screen and I hope this is limited to only me. I guess between the buffering and cornering characteristics it was not a match for me personally but then I tended to ride it harder than probably was the design cruising 140k in the sweepers and demanding more than I really should. However for me the CBF600 I had in Europe did everything a little better. But that’s just my personal experience

From Wanaka I rode the spectacular Crown Range, perhaps the highest road I traversed this tour over to historic Arrowtown. I was a it disappointed with Arrowtown, they have this wonderfully preserved frontier look town yet the main street is chock o block full with new SUV’s and hire cars all blocking the shop frontages and spoiling any chance of photo’s. Seriously, ditch the cars in the main street folks…


Riding to Glenorchy via Authurs Point encountered a spot of rain. It looked rather heavy ahead so after some thought's turned around and went past Queenstown and tried the road from Frankston down to Kingston. Here too ran into some rain and turned around and then my GPS froze so pulled over to reset it and after a small while could see the rain had already blown over the nearby mountain so did another u turn and managed to get a nice ride in to Kingston and back.


Riding across from Frankston to Lake Tepaco there is an amazingly diverse landscape, from snow covered mountains and fiord like lakes the country changes as you traverse the superb Lindis range and on to an area with huge tree less grassy hills with lunar like canyons. Fortunately the roads are magic all the way with superb riding to be enjoyed.


Very strong cross winds on last few days, coming into lake Tepaco the wind would blow me across my lane which was no fun at all. The temperatures plunged so I had to don my thermal base layer but generally was comfortable despite the ice blast wind. The water in these glacier fed lakes has the most amazing blue tinge which you have to see to believe.

Lastly, spectacular scenery and great riding roads are located quite close to Christchurch in the Akaroa area. If you only had one day then hire a motorcycle and head straight there for a fun day riding the twisty mountain roads that run around the edge of the extinct volcano rim that surrounds the village below.

I had a great time riding NZ albeit with my long term medical issue stopping the proceedings half way through. Definitely am going to cancel my initial plan for a big USA ride next year and down size it to something more manageable.
The roads in NZ are great and have so few cars that they are a non event. Motorcycle hire was quite reasonable, about $150NZ a day all inclusive. Airfares from Australia are as low as $99AUS, fuel was between $2.15-2.20 a litre but the Vstrom was cheap to operate even at these rates. Accommodation will run you about $100-140NZ a night, I found Wi-Fi lacking despite claims otherwise so ask before you book if web access is important. Meals ran between $20-$40NZ each but fast food is much cheaper than this if you wanted to go that way. I cannot think of anywhere you could go and ride so many fantastic roads so affordably.
Get the hell over there!

New Zealand motorcycle tour preview

I am packing my motorcycle riding gear in preparation for riding New Zealand. I start holidays this weekend and am r-e-a-l-l-y looking forward to my break from work

I have not posting anything the last few weeks, the ‘ol hands have been playing up and I am back on medication. I am forced to really rethink my USA ride and plan an alternative shorter route for North America next year, maybe a month, still thinking it through, but am going to stop kidding myself about what it realistic with this medical condition.

Anyway this is my kit for NZ.

From right I have my new Held ‘Rainstar’ gloves (review after the ride) Alpinestar jacket and pants as per my Europe ride as temperatures are still too cold for anything else. 4 Pairs of Alpinestars coolmax boot socks (quickdry so can wash in route). My Long Way Round warm buff for neck and my new Hairy Bikers coolmax type buff for helmet liner (to avoid helmet pressure points from scrunched hair).

Taking the Nolan N43 this trip for its large viewport and internal sun visor. Vitessi boots, new boot rain covers from Tour Master and a inner rain liner (jacket and pants are already waterproof but jacket has small storm flap so this is insurance). Out of frame is my small tool kit with puncture repair, my GPS and then lastly a new book I have wanted to read for awhile, Uneasy Rider by Mike Carter.

I am hiring from City Motorcycle Rentals in Christchurch, my point of arrival. I have chosen a Suzuki Vstrom with hard luggage. My clothes will be stashed in waterproof roll down bags I sourced from eBay and will fit in the side cases, suitcase will be stored by City Rentals.

Route will be back and forth on the northern alps crossings and then down the west coast, across the mountains again to Wanaka followed by Queenstown and the nearby lake roads and then back north.

Tell you all about it in a couple of weeks. IC.

Motorcycle tour North America planning update number 2.

I am still planning my route at the moment and have been doing some non internet research with the arrival of two books I ordered from Amazon.

The Ride Guide to America volumes one and two are not near as comprehensive as the ‘best motorcycle roads’ type sites on the net however they still make for some excellent reading. I have my route going west more or less sorted now however these books were of some assistance to me and will post it up soon. My route East can be found here.

My biggest worry is that a medical condition I suffer, namely hand dermatitis when riding, will stop me from being able to do this tour. While it has been in remission I have had a slight relapse this last week that seemed to originate in last weekends ride. This has really taken ‘the wind from my sails’ spirit wise and make me question if I am being foolish to contemplate this tour.

So this weekend I have enjoyed relaxing and reading the rides in these two books. I have regained my enthusiasm but not all of my confidence about the tour. I have toyed with the idea of cutting it down to a few key areas riding a couple 2012 then postponing the others. Depending on how my hands go then this is an alternate plan but not my dream…

I have ordered yet again more gloves, as the problem mostly starts with the gloves and with riding. I am getting another pair of Held gloves since their waterproof warm gloves seem to have been kind to me over winter. These Held gloves have a plush lining which may go some way to prevent the chaffing that partly causes my problem. Of course both models with this liner are Goretex waterproof gloves and not summer gloves so if I can actually wear them in our very warm weather remains unknown. Goretex does seem to breath very well and wicks some of the moisture away also which helps but I think they will be too hot for mid summer. Least wise they will be fine for the upcoming New Zealand ride.

Speaking of which that is just 3 weeks away now!

The Now

I slept in a bit and after hesitating decided to quickly get ready and try for a ride.
I had no real plan and just rode south. Almost immediately I had a woman in a Golf GTI merge into my lane despite sounding my horns (CB has two) from the second I noticed her moving over. So much for my thoughts that a sports exhaust might make people more aware of you.
I guess I was not in a happy place despite it being a lovely day. Sometimes I fall into the wishful if only thinking trap which serves to empower our limitations. I was starting to question if I should have just stayed home then I saw this smiley rock which made my day.



It made me do a U turn and ride back, get off the bike and take a breather and come back to ‘the now’ which is the one simple cure for wishful thinking blues. Hey this is a hell of a nice day, not cold not hot, the air is clear after the rain last night and roads are almost empty. Time to enjoy what the now is presenting to me.

Currumbin valley

Dropping down into the Tweed Valley I could feel a the mix of cool and warm air pockets that seem to present themselves in the days before Summer fully arrives. The smell of sugar cane processing was in the air and the Condong sugar mill was already operating with a full plume of steam from its chimney.



I decided to not try too big a ride since I had a huge Friday night out drinking and energy wise was probably not back near 100% yet. Past Murwillumbah to Uki and via Stokers Siding to Burringbah was very enjoyable.

Burringbah range

Then I rode the hidden roads that criss cross the highway north to Farrants Hill. Some nice views of the valley on the left and the ocean on the right along the way and scarcely a car as is the way often when riding there.

 Farrants Hill 

I must try the Tumbulgum pub lunch some time, had to be 40 motorbikes at least parked at it and very crowded. However the café had parking and choice of tables out front and I know the food and coffee are ok so it seemed to be made for me today.

Todays route is here

First Gear Scout Jacket review (and some long term updates)

I was going to get out for a ride today but just did not feel up to it.

First of all I want to post an update on two items.

Dainese Guanto X-ILE gloves. Following on from my previous review all I can say is - very disappointed in these. The way the fingers are stitched means they end up being uncomfortable after 1/2 a day as the seam rubs against the area between your fingers. Look great but crap design. I already have sworn off Italian bikes and am extending that to rider equipment.

Vitessi boots. Well I have been using these French made boots for some time and they are both comfortable and stylish however the suede leather parts sure got soiled quick. I have not had problems getting them on and off with the laces as talked about previously and I don’t find it takes any extra time. I like them but hope I can keep them looking ok moving forward.

First Gear Scout Jacket. I purchased this on close out at nearly half price to replace my Alpinestars leather jacket.

To counter some of the negative press I have given Alpinestars newer products my old Alpinestars dyno jacket was one of the first/original items I saw here from this company. It was not made in China and it still looks and functions almost like new despite years of use. The styling is timeless and I simply have put on weight that makes this shorty sports cut jacket ride a little high or I would not have replaced it.

And now to the Scout jacket from First Gear. This is a jacket I want to sit in the middle of the road, not a full winter jacket and not a summer mesh but able to cover a wide temperature range for touring. My mesh Cortech summer jacket has liners but really does not work well in cooler weather and my winter jacket is the Alpinestars WP10 which when zipped to their winter pants is a great cold weather combo but doesn’t breathe so well as the day warms up.

The Scout has a removable liner and it does a fair job with cold weather. Add a windproof midlayer and thermal base shirt and with other suitable winter gear you can get through a Brisbane winter morning then when the day warms the jacket will really work well to adjust.

I tried it in the first hot weather of the year 2 weeks ago and the venting also works well. It has two rear zip down exhaust vents and two large front zip down intake vents that can be pulled open further at the top. It also has dual zips at the lower arms which let air into your sleeves. 

There are lots of textile jackets that probably do the same thing however I wanted a leather jacket again and the Scout seems a fairly good thing so far. It weighs a ton in comparison to my textile jackets, even to the old Dyno jacket and the cut is a bit looser than I wanted but that is really as I am now in between sizes and not a fault of the jacket. Purchased before I decided on my North America tour next year I am not sure if it can cover the temperature ranges there however if it lasts like the Dyno has then I will more than get my value from it with only local use. 

In the groove

Seems every week recently is mostly fine except Sunday which is forecast chance of rain or occasional showers. So I shifted gear and went for a Saturday ride.

Wasn’t the best of weeks for me so a good ride was needed. I decided to do the tried and proven loop to Kyogle riding down via Mt Lindsey and the Summerland Way and returning via UKi and Currumbin valley. There are two perfect radius corners near the Mt Lindsey border crossing that brought a smile to my face this morning. The sort of corners where instead of ending as they might normally they extend on to give you the extra hang time defying gravity. On the Summerland I could enjoy some trees with their new spring foliage and these two roads just really work for me.



I had a very good run for nearly the whole ride and this was mostly due to the timing as I woke up early and could not get back to sleep so was riding through the suburbs before any traffic and was at Kyogle by 9.30 even with stops.

Summerland Way

There is something to be said for getting out very early but of course the negative is fatigue. I took a long break at the Tweed valley art gallery café Murwillumbah for a very early lunch and could feel myself just wanting to stay put.

Vegie burger!

The best thing about the CB1100 besides it’s looks is the way it is still enjoyable to ride at less pace so I could ride back relaxed but not be bothered. Some naked bikes don’t feel happy unless you are going a bit quicker and of course real sports bikes always want to be ridden faster. While at times I want to play I also just like to wander along and think about stuff and enjoy the surrounds. It’s not for everyone but I enjoy having less focus on covering ground and more on being in the groove with the flow of the road.