2014 Alpine Ride

I went on a ride with JimColeman, 2WA and !tag and a bunch of other guys and gals from the Far Soputh Coast Social Riders Group over the weekend and yesterday.  Here's a short report.

Well, back safely.  Had a big sleep last night!  Must have been bloody tired.  All up I did 1340kms.  It was a great ride without too many moments - just the odd corner messed up slightly as you always do over that distance and a million sub-35kmph twisties. Some others did a bit worse with one guy on a Triumph Street Triple running off the road completely, but managed to keep it upright and get back onto the road, albeit with a huge tank slapper that put him into the oncoming lane - thankfully there was no oncoming vehicles or he was dead.  He rode slowly for the nest 3 hours!  

Sat and Sun the weather was fantastic - low 30s both days and sandals and shorts weather.  It was a waste of time packing the jeans and sneakers.  Guys used the pool on the first night just to cool off. The highlight on the first day for me was the road down from Cabramurra (highest town in Oz) to Corryong.  Previous runs have take the Elliot way but the one we did Sat was far better. Both have plenty of blind corners but the Sat road also had better surface and some straight and wider bits.  

All of the 2nd day was fantastic and I don't think you could find a better 420kms.  Corryong, Towong, Walwa (along the Murray River Rd), Granya, Tallangatta, Dartmouth, Mitta Mitta, Falls Creek, Mt Beauty, Harrietville.  So many smiles on faces and stories of perfect cornering over the beers that night!  Harrietville Pub is nice and we will stay there next Feb instead of Bright for the WSBK trip.

Then yesterday. Raining as we woke up so the trip up to Hotham was slow and treacherous.  I have changed my mind on tyres - Michelin PRs definitely have more wet weather grip than Pirelli Angels and I'll go back to Michelins when the Pirellis are dead.  At times going up to Hotham we had fog and cloud patches being blown up the side of the mountain at 50kts beside us and over the road in front.  That was spectacular, even if it ruined the scenic views.  Then there were fog patches that cut visibility to under 10m - 2nd gear 20kmph at best.  Lucky it was only about 35kms in total up to Hotham!  Further rain showers down to Omeo but the road is more open and faster.  Then from Omeo to Bruthen it was hot sunshine and I was considering stopping to take off the rain suit! That is a great run so I'm glad we got that in in the dry.  Then it started to rain in earnest as we headed east on the Princes Hwy.  Road patches were slippery and one guy nearly came off.  One didn't pack any wet weather gear (!!) and bloody nearly got hypothermia.  He was on a Ducati Monster (1000cc) and went into Orbost to find a camping store to get some protective clothing.  When he came back the bike wouldn't start, so he had to leave it in Orbost and got pillioned back to the Bega Valley. Bloody exotic euro bikes! I stayed largely dry due to the Dririder rain suit but my boots (like others) got water in them.  Ah well, they are drying now as we speak.  I turned north off the Princes Hwy at Cann River and headed back up through Bombala and home via Bemboka.  Both of these places were bone dry and that run even dried the gloves as I rode along - nice.

So how did the Ohlins shock go?  Bloody brilliant.  I was cornering faster than I have ever done in the previous 63000kms on the old Bandit.  It is sure now footed and holds the line now all the time irrespective of mid-corner bumps.  I clearly should have put it on earlier, when I upgraded the front springs and valves.  No wonder everyone else always went faster than me. I'm no speedster but decent handling goes a long way to building cornering confidence - that goes without saying.  I didn't get to play with the rebound damping much - it seems fine as it came.  

Cheers

great report & some spectacular pictures , looks like a great trip   (I trust the shorts & sandals weren't standard riding gear   )

Nice one, Ewok. 
Good to see you have had a good result with your shock.

Nice long ride, apart from the couple of hairy moments for the guy who run off the road & the other guy who got tank slappers & run into the wrong side of the road   Whta ended up happening to the Duc  that was left behind ? Got to read that your new rear shock has imporved the handling of your bike also, thanks for sharing the report 

Yeah Miker, the Ducati was left somewhere in Orbost to be picked up this week or next weekend.

Looks like an awesome ride Ewok, thanks for sharing.

What a great weekend. Well 4 days for me and 1620km on the best motorcycle Ive ever owned. Its not a Bandit so I'll leave it there but by golly I enjoyed sunday. There are absolutely no chicken strips on my tyres! I've been riding bikes of all types for 40 years and on Sunday I learnt to "ride".

I tell you what Dave I'm gobsmacked by the wet and dry grip of the Dunlops on my bike. Not a moment all weekend and thats with almost grinding the corners off the panniers  The Hotham section was a shocker. I wasn't game to stop for fear I wouldn't want to get back on 

Theres a link HERE if anyone is interested in my photos.

I haven't started cleaning the bike yet. Thats going to take a while but I have Sunday off.

I enjoyed the riding and the company. 
I learnt that; 

• chook chasers get around ok on knobby rubber
  
• riding those roads 2 up should be worthy of an award
  
• terry is a noon on the little ktm
  
• i need to ride more twisties
  
• next year can't come quick enough
  

^^ 
I check the pics out on link provided, awesome ride 

Looks like an awesome ride!  Nice pics!  

Great stuff 2W.  With the amount of pics of a certain bike....... I think someone is in love. 

Hammy wrote:Great stuff 2W.  With the amount of pics of a certain bike....... I think someone is in love. 

I tell you what mate I have never ridden with as much confidence as I did on the VFR that weekend.
Thinking back the handling of the B1250 used to scare me but I put up with it.
The VFR1200F is an awesome bike. I'll never use it all but what I do use is brilliant.

well what a ride it was, ewok ride report summed it up nicely, But i found the Pirellis absolutely superb in feel and grip especially in rain on the way home, one thing about vic roads is the patches are very slippery and i dread riding in the wet, but this time rock solid. even when i had to go two up.
Jamie's Ducati decided that it did not want to go any more, my assumption was that Italian electrics and 2 hours of heavy rain did not mix, but it was just a loose wire on the  fuel pump. After 5 hours of riding in the rain made me realise that i need some decent wet gear, Dririder Vortex jacket stood up to the test, Bmw City 2 pants were never waterproof, RJays overpants crutch let go without realising it sometime ago and soaked me from the waste down, and the most disappointing thing was my $270 Dainese 100% waterproof gortex gloves were anything but. 

So i am deciding whether to look like a Banana and get a Bright Yellow BMW one piece riding suit for $199 or a go for the Ixon Rainsuit R8.8 for $99. i am not fussed on one piece suits but i think its really the only way to stay dry 

as for the ride was bloody awesome

^^
I avoid riding in the rain whenever possible, although i have riden in the rain many times. I don't go riding if the weather is foreacast for rain, it just ain't no fun getting wet. 

MIKER wrote:^^
I avoid riding in the rain whenever possible, although i have riden in the rain many times. I don't go riding if the weather is foreacast for rain, it just ain't no fun getting wet. 

I don't mind getting wet especially if its on the way home. Its the cleaning afterwards that shits me. I'm doing my bike tomorrow night. I suspect I'll have to pull bits off to do it properly 

2wheelsagain wrote:

MIKER wrote:^^
I avoid riding in the rain whenever possible, although i have riden in the rain many times. I don't go riding if the weather is foreacast for rain, it just ain't no fun getting wet. 

I don't mind getting wet especially if its on the way home. Its the cleaning afterwards that shits me. I'm doing my bike tomorrow night. I suspect I'll have to pull bits off to do it properly 

And that's the main reason I hate the rain, spending hours cleaning and polishing the bike afterwards.

^^
Cleaning the bike isn't that hard or bad, I just hate all the water that gets in your boots, gloves, runs down your neck & find its way into every corner of your body  this gives me the 

MIKER wrote:^^
Cleaning the bike isn't that hard or bad, I just hate all the water that gets in your boots, gloves, runs down your neck & find its way into every corner of your body  this gives me the 

Its the time mate, I just don't have it

^^
I hear you, i also hate cleaning a motorcycle after it's been in the rain & is dirty in every nook & cranny 

2wheelsagain wrote:

MIKER wrote:^^
I avoid riding in the rain whenever possible, although i have riden in the rain many times. I don't go riding if the weather is foreacast for rain, it just ain't no fun getting wet. 

I don't mind getting wet especially if its on the way home. Its the cleaning afterwards that shits me. I'm doing my bike tomorrow night. I suspect I'll have to pull bits off to do it properly 

x2, having to clean up afterwards is the only reason I'd try and avoid rain

I was straight back to work, so only managed to log back in now.

A great weekend it was, even if my boots have only just dried out. (although I doubt JC's 100% guaranteed waterproof Dianese gloves will be dry yet)

Ewok spent the weekend being arsally pampered by his new gold shock from those Swedish peoples and loving it.

That big silver viffer is a pretty smooth piece of kit.
And great pics Chris - very handy with the zip download from Dropbox too. (ps: wots a noon?)

Oh - that oil leak from the Keeps Taking Money was just some grit under the oil filler cap. Big singles manage to pump up their crankcases pretty well so a tiny gap can pass a lot of oil.

!Tag wrote:(ps: wots a noon?)

You've lost me mate but that's not hard
I wish I had taken more photos. Some action shots would be good. Might be a job for me next time. 

Glad that little Katie isn't bleeding Terry.

"terry is a noon on the little ktm"
It was a quote from your first post.

I'll guess it was a typo.
You probably meant goon.
Or nong.
Or horn (nah, that's not it, I don't think)

!Tag wrote:"terry is a noon on the little ktm"
It was a quote from your first post.

I'll guess it was a typo.
You probably meant goon.
Or nong.
Or horn (nah, that's not it, I don't think)

Spoon........  Yep was a auto correct thing a me

!Tag wrote:I was straight back to work, so only managed to log back in now.

A great weekend it was, even if my boots have only just dried out. (although I doubt JC's 100% guaranteed waterproof Dianese gloves will be dry yet)

Ewok spent the weekend being arsally pampered by his new gold shock from those Swedish peoples and loving it.

That big silver viffer is a pretty smooth piece of kit.
And great pics Chris - very handy with the zip download from Dropbox too. (ps: wots a noon?)

Oh - that oil leak from the Keeps Taking Money was just some grit under the oil filler cap. Big singles manage to pump up their crankcases pretty well so a tiny gap can pass a lot of oil.

4 bloody day in the sun it took to dry out