CCC 2017 Ride Report
Leg One (Coogee to Scarborough)
Following on from last year’s 50CC I was keen for another East West crossing plus crack the 100 CCC for the ride back east.
Having learnt a thing or two from last year I put a lot more effort into my planning and preparation well ahead of time and during this period, after an initial enquiry from Scott, the group grew to number 5. (Moi, Rob, Scott, David and Olaf).
Three of the Five Lads. (Dave was off socialising & Rob was close by)
So at last the departure morning arrived and it was a short ride down to Coogee Reserve to obtain the group photo. As timing would have it other riders materialised out of the dark at the same time to see us off. (Frans, Ox, Tiger Bill, John Negus, Enterprise, Knave) A fantastic turnout at this time of the morning, thanks lads! Photos taken, it was back up Coogee Bay Road to top up fuel tanks, obtain dockets etc. To say the servo was full of bikes & riders was an understatement. The attendant was so impressed he even brought out water bottles for us all. Then 2:30am arrived and we were off into the darkness, no rush but rather steady as she goes as we made our way out of Sydney heading westwards.
Pre departure Group at Coogee Beach. "The riders materialised out of the dark"
Many of the support group joined us on our way down the Hume, lighting up the darkness with an impressive array of LED lights! My first fuel stop was Gundagai and I rolled in there slightly ahead of schedule and was joined shortly after by Olaf and David. Scott and Rob with their extended range tanks were going further for their stops and this simple dynamic would dictate the pace of the group. (Rob and Scott with their superior tank range would be stopping for fuel once for my every two stops and two & half stops for Dave). I said goodbye to Tiger Bill and Ox who were heading over to check out some new roads around Wyangala before heading home to Newcastle and I motored on to Wagga, Narrandera and Hay, my next fuel stop. It had been very cold on the Hume, down to 7.5 degrees but now the sun was out and it was a much more pleasant temperature heading across the Hay Plain. Lost about 10 minutes sitting at road works before I rolled into the Hay servo where Fatman and LTP were collecting photos. Great to see you both and thanks for riding up from Melbourne to wave us on! This is a real boost to the spirits.
Roadworks on the Hay Plain - the suns shining!
From Hay it was onward ever westward. Fatman and LTP accompanied us for a while before heading diverging back to the east coast. Approaching Mildura I made a slight change to my next planned fuel stop (Renmark) and pulled into Buronga for fuel, by rough calculation I could maybe just make it through to Port Augusta. Also took the opportunity to grab a salad sandwich for lunch and shared a few words with Dave as he rolled in as Olaf and I were about to depart.
The ride into Renmark was uneventful other than making a rookie mistake of NOT taking the bypass option through Mildura, instead using the main road, and this cost us 10 minutes or so at traffic lights. This was then compounded at Renmark where we arrived just as the bridge over the river was being raised for river traffic, hmmm, another 15 minutes lost sitting on the side of the road. By the end of the day I had lost nearly an hour due to the roadworks on the Hay Plan plus these latest two unscheduled delays. Not too worry, got through Renmark quick smart once the bridge reopened, and then onto the B64 for Burra and Crystal Brook. This was a pleasant change with more corners than we had seen for a while, excellent motorcycling country! The temperatures were now into the low to mid 30’s not unpleasant when moving. An hour into this section and it was clear I wouldn’t have the fuel range to make Port Augusta and another fuel stop was required, “decided” to do this at Crystal Brook, rolling into the service station there with 15km range left in the tank. Hmmm my fuel consumption was starting to alarm me now as it seemed to be approximately 10-15% more than planned for or what I was accustomed to. It was windy but not excessively so and I didn’t think it was impacting that much on my fuel consumption. (I was to be proven wrong on that point the following day).
Into South Australia
Fuelled up and back on the road to join the main highway for the run into Port Augusta. Temperatures were now high 30’s with 38 showing on the gauge. Plenty of traffic around plus a few police cars monitoring things. This part of the ride was a real drone in the warm afternoon sunshine, but eventually Port Augusta rolled into view and Olaf and I pulled into the BP truck stop for a longer scheduled stop for fuel and dinner. Surprisingly when checked against the ride plan we were almost right on schedule despite the extra fuel stop and delays in Mildura and Renmark. Dinner was toasted sandwiches and cold tea, the food of champions! Delicious!
Riding out of Port Augusta for the next leg of the ride I felt very relaxed and comfortable with how things were progressing, the sun was edging towards the western horizon as we motored past Iron Knob onwards towards Kimba. As the dark enveloped us we came up onto another motorcyclist travelling in the same direction, from behind it looked like Dave but quickly realised as we sailed past that this was not the case. Gave the rider friendly wave and his headlight quickly disappeared into the darkness in my mirrors. At Kimba the service station was closed and I made the decision to use the afterhours pump and retain my on board fuel reserve. Olaf took the opportunity to clean the bugs off his screen and we were just about to depart when the other motorcyclist pulled in beside us. Greetings were exchanged and we discovered young Zac was on his way to Ceduna for the weekend to see his girl. (What better reason to be out riding in the dark?) As he refuelled he asked if he could ride with us to Ceduna, no worries mate. I took point and Ollie took up tail end Charlie and we chaperoned our new acquaintance westward. He was very appreciative of the extra lighting! As we rode through the night at a steady 110km/hr he would gradually fall further behind, so I would slow down and allow him to re-join. I pulled over at Poochera, this time beside the telephone box (Karl, Dave and Freddo from last year’s crossing will laugh at this) for the only available lighting and waited for Zac and Ollie to join me. They pulled in a few minutes later, our newest member of the group coasting in on fumes as he was almost out of gas. A quick discussion followed and I discovered his cruiser was a 400cc and he had been flogging trying to keep up and of course emptied the tank. Out with my spare on board fuel can and into his 400CC cruiser went the fuel. (Thank goodness I hadn’t used this at Kimba!)
The night section into Ceduna
From here it was an easy ride under the stars through Wirrulla and into Ceduna, arriving just after midnight local time. Zac was very helpful in refuelling and signing of witness forms and we wished him all the best on finding his girlfriend at this ungodly hour of the night. Checked into my unit and I hit the sack for a well-earned snooze. The alarm woke me right on schedule, took the time to shave, shower and munch some brekkie before joining Rob, Scott & Ollie out the front of the servo pre departure to swap notes from yesterday’s ride. Everyone was in good spirits and pleased with their rides.
Departed Ceduna right on schedule and settled into an easy pace into the night heading for Nullarbor Roadhouse my next scheduled fuel stop. There was an impressive display of lightening off to our left and ahead of us to keep us entertained. A storm threatened with a stiff headwind. Rob and Scott gradually pulled away into the night as we all settled into our ride routines. At Penong it was interesting to see the new 24hr Truck Stop open at last. Another fuel option out here. Rolling into Nullarbor Roadhouse at 6:45am local time it was still closed so I refuelled with the on-board reserve. Rob had pulled in ahead of us for a pit stop and rode out again at the same time with us. It was very interesting to see how the long distance smooths out the various riding routines & times across the group. We would continue to leap frog each other across the country but always generally arrive very close in time at the major junctions. On the next leg to Border Village we passed the big yellow Honda F6B parked in a rest area while Scott was taking a power nap. About 60 kms outside Border Village my fuel warning light came on, oops! I hadn’t realised the head wind had been that strong. 10kms outside BV the phone went and it was Miss Bec phoning in to say good morning. Two minutes later the engine went dead as the fuel supply ran out, so I said a hurried goodbye, hung up and coasted to the high side of the road to park the bike on the road shoulder and contemplate my options. Hmmm, GPS says 7 kms to BV. Whipped out the on board fuel reserve container and gave it a nervous shake…..there was maybe half a litre tops, which promptly went into the bike. Scott pulled up to check on us about the same time. Took a while to fire the Big 6 up again as it coughed and spluttered its way back into life and then I gently rode into BV with Ollie riding shotgun. Phew! Caught up briefly with Rob, Scott and Ollie before adjourning with Ollie into the truck stop for bacon and egg rolls for breakfast.
Day 2 Fuel Stop at Nullarbor Roadhouse. The attendant is doing pre opening checks - honest!
There were a few people watching on the Spot as a flood of messages came in querying the funny Spot delay and asking how BV was. Hmmm, how does one explain running out of fuel? Rider Stupidity? Once breakfast was eaten it was back out on the road to cross the border. My border official was more interested in the bike and was especially taken with my Bead Rider seat. “Does that thing really work?” with my reply giving glowing testimony to it. There wasn’t a lot of interest in what I may have been carrying and my reassurances were all that were needed before being waved on. “See you tomorrow” I said with her reply being “I thought you said you were going to Perth?” My reply of “I am” left her looking puzzled but some things are better left unexplained as I rode off into WA.
That bacon & egg roll was delicious!
I always enjoy the thrill of riding past Eucla down the Pass onto the old seabed floor towards Mundrabilla Roadhouse. The sight of the ancient hills to our right which clearly show the sedimentary layering is impressive and today in the sunshine with moderate temperatures was no different for me. Passed Mundrabilla Roadhouse and then briefly caught up with Rob before pulling into a rest area for powernap. Ollie said he would keep going and we agreed to catch up at Norseman, or sooner, whichever occurred first. I enjoyed a very pleasant 15 minute snooze under the shade of the one the picnic shelters, with only the distant hum of traffic and insects to keep me company. Back on the road it was ever onwards to the west. Plenty of roadkill around this area and up around Madura Pass and into Cocklebiddy. This had me mentally rechecking my ride plan for Sunday on the return leg for this area, one of the reasons for departing Coogee at 2:30am was this meant this section of the ride was in daylight in both directions.
Fuelled up again at Caiguna Roadhouse, a quick turnaround and I was out on the road again in less than 10 minutes. The lads were just ahead of me as their text messages came in about. As I went past Balladonia I made a couple of phone calls to the others. Optus wasn’t playing ball so tried to leave a message with Scott and Rob. Olaf was approx. 10 minutes ahead of me and we agreed to catch up at Norseman. What a day for crossing the Nullarbor, sun shining with temperatures in the mid 20’s. Magnificent, with the only downside to it being the southerly headwind affecting my fuel consumption. Well you can’t have it all! Wasn’t long before I rolled into Norseman in the afternoon sunshine, where Scott was preparing to leave and Ollie was refuelling.
I refuelled and decided to take a short lunch break and rest stop, I needed some time off the bike after that last section from Balladonia. Away again and Ollie and I rode onto Coolgardie before taking the turn to Southern Cross. The road from Norseman to Coolgardie was much more interesting with more corners and hill country, a welcome change. Rolling through Coolgardie on a Saturday afternoon there wasn’t much happening! Things were quiet. There were significant roadworks from here onto Southern Cross but with it being late Saturday and work having finished for the day we were able to make reasonable time into the Southern Cross Roadhouse. What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon, riding through the WA countryside listening to music. It doesn’t get much better than this!
From here it was the final leg to Perth, well it’s certainly a lot quicker to say that than ride it! There is still a few hundred kms to ride before I can breathe in the Indian Ocean in Scarborough. So it was keep on riding at a steady pace. I loved watching the sun set over the western horizon and the stars come out, then enjoying the change in the countryside as we rolled into the eastern hills of outer Perth with the city lights twinkling in the distance. Not too long later Ollie and I pulled up beside Gus who was waiting patiently beside his big Kwaka at the BP at the foot of the hills. Seasoned IBA rider that Gus is he guided us efficiently through to Scarborough, made sure we refuelled, got receipts, signed witness forms and then shooed us off to our hotel accommodation with a promise to meet us back at the servo at 1:15am ready for departure on the return leg. Gus had news from Dave that he was due in to Scarborough at about the same time!
Woohoo! Scarborough Beach (Receipt # 2) Ready to depart for Leg Two
Walking into the servo the attendant asks me “where is your witness form sir? I am ready to sign it for you” He then says “hey, you were here last year at the same time” Good memory! Checking into the Hotel across the road took longer than expected and I had time to chat briefly with Scott to confirm I would be departing at 1:30am before hitting the room for some well-deserved sleep.
Leg One of the ride was in the bag with a 50CC completed. Now for the ride back east!
Leg One (Coogee to Scarborough)
Following on from last year’s 50CC I was keen for another East West crossing plus crack the 100 CCC for the ride back east.
Having learnt a thing or two from last year I put a lot more effort into my planning and preparation well ahead of time and during this period, after an initial enquiry from Scott, the group grew to number 5. (Moi, Rob, Scott, David and Olaf).
Three of the Five Lads. (Dave was off socialising & Rob was close by)
So at last the departure morning arrived and it was a short ride down to Coogee Reserve to obtain the group photo. As timing would have it other riders materialised out of the dark at the same time to see us off. (Frans, Ox, Tiger Bill, John Negus, Enterprise, Knave) A fantastic turnout at this time of the morning, thanks lads! Photos taken, it was back up Coogee Bay Road to top up fuel tanks, obtain dockets etc. To say the servo was full of bikes & riders was an understatement. The attendant was so impressed he even brought out water bottles for us all. Then 2:30am arrived and we were off into the darkness, no rush but rather steady as she goes as we made our way out of Sydney heading westwards.
Pre departure Group at Coogee Beach. "The riders materialised out of the dark"
Many of the support group joined us on our way down the Hume, lighting up the darkness with an impressive array of LED lights! My first fuel stop was Gundagai and I rolled in there slightly ahead of schedule and was joined shortly after by Olaf and David. Scott and Rob with their extended range tanks were going further for their stops and this simple dynamic would dictate the pace of the group. (Rob and Scott with their superior tank range would be stopping for fuel once for my every two stops and two & half stops for Dave). I said goodbye to Tiger Bill and Ox who were heading over to check out some new roads around Wyangala before heading home to Newcastle and I motored on to Wagga, Narrandera and Hay, my next fuel stop. It had been very cold on the Hume, down to 7.5 degrees but now the sun was out and it was a much more pleasant temperature heading across the Hay Plain. Lost about 10 minutes sitting at road works before I rolled into the Hay servo where Fatman and LTP were collecting photos. Great to see you both and thanks for riding up from Melbourne to wave us on! This is a real boost to the spirits.
Roadworks on the Hay Plain - the suns shining!
From Hay it was onward ever westward. Fatman and LTP accompanied us for a while before heading diverging back to the east coast. Approaching Mildura I made a slight change to my next planned fuel stop (Renmark) and pulled into Buronga for fuel, by rough calculation I could maybe just make it through to Port Augusta. Also took the opportunity to grab a salad sandwich for lunch and shared a few words with Dave as he rolled in as Olaf and I were about to depart.
The ride into Renmark was uneventful other than making a rookie mistake of NOT taking the bypass option through Mildura, instead using the main road, and this cost us 10 minutes or so at traffic lights. This was then compounded at Renmark where we arrived just as the bridge over the river was being raised for river traffic, hmmm, another 15 minutes lost sitting on the side of the road. By the end of the day I had lost nearly an hour due to the roadworks on the Hay Plan plus these latest two unscheduled delays. Not too worry, got through Renmark quick smart once the bridge reopened, and then onto the B64 for Burra and Crystal Brook. This was a pleasant change with more corners than we had seen for a while, excellent motorcycling country! The temperatures were now into the low to mid 30’s not unpleasant when moving. An hour into this section and it was clear I wouldn’t have the fuel range to make Port Augusta and another fuel stop was required, “decided” to do this at Crystal Brook, rolling into the service station there with 15km range left in the tank. Hmmm my fuel consumption was starting to alarm me now as it seemed to be approximately 10-15% more than planned for or what I was accustomed to. It was windy but not excessively so and I didn’t think it was impacting that much on my fuel consumption. (I was to be proven wrong on that point the following day).
Into South Australia
Fuelled up and back on the road to join the main highway for the run into Port Augusta. Temperatures were now high 30’s with 38 showing on the gauge. Plenty of traffic around plus a few police cars monitoring things. This part of the ride was a real drone in the warm afternoon sunshine, but eventually Port Augusta rolled into view and Olaf and I pulled into the BP truck stop for a longer scheduled stop for fuel and dinner. Surprisingly when checked against the ride plan we were almost right on schedule despite the extra fuel stop and delays in Mildura and Renmark. Dinner was toasted sandwiches and cold tea, the food of champions! Delicious!
Riding out of Port Augusta for the next leg of the ride I felt very relaxed and comfortable with how things were progressing, the sun was edging towards the western horizon as we motored past Iron Knob onwards towards Kimba. As the dark enveloped us we came up onto another motorcyclist travelling in the same direction, from behind it looked like Dave but quickly realised as we sailed past that this was not the case. Gave the rider friendly wave and his headlight quickly disappeared into the darkness in my mirrors. At Kimba the service station was closed and I made the decision to use the afterhours pump and retain my on board fuel reserve. Olaf took the opportunity to clean the bugs off his screen and we were just about to depart when the other motorcyclist pulled in beside us. Greetings were exchanged and we discovered young Zac was on his way to Ceduna for the weekend to see his girl. (What better reason to be out riding in the dark?) As he refuelled he asked if he could ride with us to Ceduna, no worries mate. I took point and Ollie took up tail end Charlie and we chaperoned our new acquaintance westward. He was very appreciative of the extra lighting! As we rode through the night at a steady 110km/hr he would gradually fall further behind, so I would slow down and allow him to re-join. I pulled over at Poochera, this time beside the telephone box (Karl, Dave and Freddo from last year’s crossing will laugh at this) for the only available lighting and waited for Zac and Ollie to join me. They pulled in a few minutes later, our newest member of the group coasting in on fumes as he was almost out of gas. A quick discussion followed and I discovered his cruiser was a 400cc and he had been flogging trying to keep up and of course emptied the tank. Out with my spare on board fuel can and into his 400CC cruiser went the fuel. (Thank goodness I hadn’t used this at Kimba!)
The night section into Ceduna
From here it was an easy ride under the stars through Wirrulla and into Ceduna, arriving just after midnight local time. Zac was very helpful in refuelling and signing of witness forms and we wished him all the best on finding his girlfriend at this ungodly hour of the night. Checked into my unit and I hit the sack for a well-earned snooze. The alarm woke me right on schedule, took the time to shave, shower and munch some brekkie before joining Rob, Scott & Ollie out the front of the servo pre departure to swap notes from yesterday’s ride. Everyone was in good spirits and pleased with their rides.
Departed Ceduna right on schedule and settled into an easy pace into the night heading for Nullarbor Roadhouse my next scheduled fuel stop. There was an impressive display of lightening off to our left and ahead of us to keep us entertained. A storm threatened with a stiff headwind. Rob and Scott gradually pulled away into the night as we all settled into our ride routines. At Penong it was interesting to see the new 24hr Truck Stop open at last. Another fuel option out here. Rolling into Nullarbor Roadhouse at 6:45am local time it was still closed so I refuelled with the on-board reserve. Rob had pulled in ahead of us for a pit stop and rode out again at the same time with us. It was very interesting to see how the long distance smooths out the various riding routines & times across the group. We would continue to leap frog each other across the country but always generally arrive very close in time at the major junctions. On the next leg to Border Village we passed the big yellow Honda F6B parked in a rest area while Scott was taking a power nap. About 60 kms outside Border Village my fuel warning light came on, oops! I hadn’t realised the head wind had been that strong. 10kms outside BV the phone went and it was Miss Bec phoning in to say good morning. Two minutes later the engine went dead as the fuel supply ran out, so I said a hurried goodbye, hung up and coasted to the high side of the road to park the bike on the road shoulder and contemplate my options. Hmmm, GPS says 7 kms to BV. Whipped out the on board fuel reserve container and gave it a nervous shake…..there was maybe half a litre tops, which promptly went into the bike. Scott pulled up to check on us about the same time. Took a while to fire the Big 6 up again as it coughed and spluttered its way back into life and then I gently rode into BV with Ollie riding shotgun. Phew! Caught up briefly with Rob, Scott and Ollie before adjourning with Ollie into the truck stop for bacon and egg rolls for breakfast.
Day 2 Fuel Stop at Nullarbor Roadhouse. The attendant is doing pre opening checks - honest!
There were a few people watching on the Spot as a flood of messages came in querying the funny Spot delay and asking how BV was. Hmmm, how does one explain running out of fuel? Rider Stupidity? Once breakfast was eaten it was back out on the road to cross the border. My border official was more interested in the bike and was especially taken with my Bead Rider seat. “Does that thing really work?” with my reply giving glowing testimony to it. There wasn’t a lot of interest in what I may have been carrying and my reassurances were all that were needed before being waved on. “See you tomorrow” I said with her reply being “I thought you said you were going to Perth?” My reply of “I am” left her looking puzzled but some things are better left unexplained as I rode off into WA.
That bacon & egg roll was delicious!
I always enjoy the thrill of riding past Eucla down the Pass onto the old seabed floor towards Mundrabilla Roadhouse. The sight of the ancient hills to our right which clearly show the sedimentary layering is impressive and today in the sunshine with moderate temperatures was no different for me. Passed Mundrabilla Roadhouse and then briefly caught up with Rob before pulling into a rest area for powernap. Ollie said he would keep going and we agreed to catch up at Norseman, or sooner, whichever occurred first. I enjoyed a very pleasant 15 minute snooze under the shade of the one the picnic shelters, with only the distant hum of traffic and insects to keep me company. Back on the road it was ever onwards to the west. Plenty of roadkill around this area and up around Madura Pass and into Cocklebiddy. This had me mentally rechecking my ride plan for Sunday on the return leg for this area, one of the reasons for departing Coogee at 2:30am was this meant this section of the ride was in daylight in both directions.
Fuelled up again at Caiguna Roadhouse, a quick turnaround and I was out on the road again in less than 10 minutes. The lads were just ahead of me as their text messages came in about. As I went past Balladonia I made a couple of phone calls to the others. Optus wasn’t playing ball so tried to leave a message with Scott and Rob. Olaf was approx. 10 minutes ahead of me and we agreed to catch up at Norseman. What a day for crossing the Nullarbor, sun shining with temperatures in the mid 20’s. Magnificent, with the only downside to it being the southerly headwind affecting my fuel consumption. Well you can’t have it all! Wasn’t long before I rolled into Norseman in the afternoon sunshine, where Scott was preparing to leave and Ollie was refuelling.
I refuelled and decided to take a short lunch break and rest stop, I needed some time off the bike after that last section from Balladonia. Away again and Ollie and I rode onto Coolgardie before taking the turn to Southern Cross. The road from Norseman to Coolgardie was much more interesting with more corners and hill country, a welcome change. Rolling through Coolgardie on a Saturday afternoon there wasn’t much happening! Things were quiet. There were significant roadworks from here onto Southern Cross but with it being late Saturday and work having finished for the day we were able to make reasonable time into the Southern Cross Roadhouse. What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon, riding through the WA countryside listening to music. It doesn’t get much better than this!
From here it was the final leg to Perth, well it’s certainly a lot quicker to say that than ride it! There is still a few hundred kms to ride before I can breathe in the Indian Ocean in Scarborough. So it was keep on riding at a steady pace. I loved watching the sun set over the western horizon and the stars come out, then enjoying the change in the countryside as we rolled into the eastern hills of outer Perth with the city lights twinkling in the distance. Not too long later Ollie and I pulled up beside Gus who was waiting patiently beside his big Kwaka at the BP at the foot of the hills. Seasoned IBA rider that Gus is he guided us efficiently through to Scarborough, made sure we refuelled, got receipts, signed witness forms and then shooed us off to our hotel accommodation with a promise to meet us back at the servo at 1:15am ready for departure on the return leg. Gus had news from Dave that he was due in to Scarborough at about the same time!
Woohoo! Scarborough Beach (Receipt # 2) Ready to depart for Leg Two
Walking into the servo the attendant asks me “where is your witness form sir? I am ready to sign it for you” He then says “hey, you were here last year at the same time” Good memory! Checking into the Hotel across the road took longer than expected and I had time to chat briefly with Scott to confirm I would be departing at 1:30am before hitting the room for some well-deserved sleep.
Leg One of the ride was in the bag with a 50CC completed. Now for the ride back east!
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