I get off my red P’s in 1 month, and thought it would be a bit different to complete the ride with the restricted speed limits along with an instant 3 month suspension if I get caught speeding.
I had originally planned to do this with Dad as I hadn’t ridden that far on my own before and having his experience and company I thought would help. A week out dad had injured his back and was unwell, so was unable to come with me. I had been looking forward to it so decided I would go it alone.
Due to my speed limit dad had suggested I need to ride along a road where It would be easy to keep up my overall average speed, so to Melbourne and back on the Hume was the best and safest choice.
After about 5-6 hours sleep I got my start docket at 2:37am. I was feeling nervous about having to remember everything at each stop. I usually forget to do something - like when we left I forgot to plug in my heated liner.
It got pretty cold pretty quick and the further I went the colder it got, I was trying to tough it out to the first stop at Yass before I stopped to plug in the liner but the temperature kept dropping rapidly so I made the call to stop and plug it in. And Im glad I did. It must have been around 2’c and I really feel the cold.
First stop at Yass was probably the quickest one of the day because it was so cold I just wanted to get back on the bike and keep going. Quick fuel stops aren’t usually my forte. It started to warm up once I got to Holbrook at 09:01
About 30km after Yass at 06:25 I was pretty sleepy so decided to stop for a powernap. I found a truck bay, parked the bike and lied down on the grass. I was about to fall asleep when I could hear someone saying "hello? Hello? Hello?" a couple of police had surrounded me and were relieved to find I wasn't deceased. I was awake then, so I kept riding until I could have another powernap about 30km down the track which was much more successful.
The next stop was Glenrowan where I left without doing up my chinstrap so had to stop again to do it up, then on to Epping. My back was starting to really ache by around this stage, I had been trying to make sure I was stretching frequently but I think I had done all I could. The more painful it got the longer away the finish line seemed.
I have a Kaoko throttle lock device fitted which definitely helps, but it still requires me to keep my eye on the speedo a lot of the time, and during the night this takes up a lot of concentration, especially since my lighting is far from desirable. In some previous off road training I had dropped my bike and bent the handlebars. Daily commuting to work it goes un-noticed but on a long ride my wrist was really aching at the uncomfortable angle.
I had heard about the strict speeding rules in Victoria and I believed it after the 1000 speeding cameras I passed. It was nice to be able to increase the speed to 100km for a while. Hoping I don’t receive a fine in the mail.
I stopped at the same places on the way back. Glenrowan, Holbrook then on to Yass. I had an extra stop at Pheasants Nest where I met up with Dad for the rest of the way home.
The most I had ridden before hadn’t exceeded 1000k’s so this was significantly higher - but I had my head in the right space and was just focussed on getting to each stop. Dad also played a huge part in helping me ride this, I have learnt a lot from his rides plus his encouragement, support and equipment. Mum is also a huge supporter, even though it means she spends the day worrying.
The final stop Menai at 23:07 - total 1707km in 20hrs 30mins. And a thank you to everyone who showed their support and encouragement. I was overwhelmed by your comments and it made the ride feel more special.
I had originally planned to do this with Dad as I hadn’t ridden that far on my own before and having his experience and company I thought would help. A week out dad had injured his back and was unwell, so was unable to come with me. I had been looking forward to it so decided I would go it alone.
Due to my speed limit dad had suggested I need to ride along a road where It would be easy to keep up my overall average speed, so to Melbourne and back on the Hume was the best and safest choice.
After about 5-6 hours sleep I got my start docket at 2:37am. I was feeling nervous about having to remember everything at each stop. I usually forget to do something - like when we left I forgot to plug in my heated liner.
It got pretty cold pretty quick and the further I went the colder it got, I was trying to tough it out to the first stop at Yass before I stopped to plug in the liner but the temperature kept dropping rapidly so I made the call to stop and plug it in. And Im glad I did. It must have been around 2’c and I really feel the cold.
First stop at Yass was probably the quickest one of the day because it was so cold I just wanted to get back on the bike and keep going. Quick fuel stops aren’t usually my forte. It started to warm up once I got to Holbrook at 09:01
About 30km after Yass at 06:25 I was pretty sleepy so decided to stop for a powernap. I found a truck bay, parked the bike and lied down on the grass. I was about to fall asleep when I could hear someone saying "hello? Hello? Hello?" a couple of police had surrounded me and were relieved to find I wasn't deceased. I was awake then, so I kept riding until I could have another powernap about 30km down the track which was much more successful.
The next stop was Glenrowan where I left without doing up my chinstrap so had to stop again to do it up, then on to Epping. My back was starting to really ache by around this stage, I had been trying to make sure I was stretching frequently but I think I had done all I could. The more painful it got the longer away the finish line seemed.
I have a Kaoko throttle lock device fitted which definitely helps, but it still requires me to keep my eye on the speedo a lot of the time, and during the night this takes up a lot of concentration, especially since my lighting is far from desirable. In some previous off road training I had dropped my bike and bent the handlebars. Daily commuting to work it goes un-noticed but on a long ride my wrist was really aching at the uncomfortable angle.
I had heard about the strict speeding rules in Victoria and I believed it after the 1000 speeding cameras I passed. It was nice to be able to increase the speed to 100km for a while. Hoping I don’t receive a fine in the mail.
I stopped at the same places on the way back. Glenrowan, Holbrook then on to Yass. I had an extra stop at Pheasants Nest where I met up with Dad for the rest of the way home.
The most I had ridden before hadn’t exceeded 1000k’s so this was significantly higher - but I had my head in the right space and was just focussed on getting to each stop. Dad also played a huge part in helping me ride this, I have learnt a lot from his rides plus his encouragement, support and equipment. Mum is also a huge supporter, even though it means she spends the day worrying.
The final stop Menai at 23:07 - total 1707km in 20hrs 30mins. And a thank you to everyone who showed their support and encouragement. I was overwhelmed by your comments and it made the ride feel more special.
