Hay y'all! Yep, that's where I'm headed. I planned a route where I haven't been in NSW before, so I knew I needed a much comfier bike than the Scram 411 used for last ride. I intended to be in the saddle longer than any prior occasions.
Like my previous Summer Solstice ride, I wanted this to be certified for both the Autumn Equinox and count toward the Piston Diversity Insanity Award. Not having a 3-cylinder engine in the Foxton stable, I made arrangements to hire a Yamaha MT09 Tracer GT. It just so happened the rental company was in the next suburb to where I grew-up, so it was a no-brainer to start the journey from my dad's place - the family home where I grew up in The Shire.
Dad had been hearing about my long distance rides, and it was his first chance to see my preparation before I set off. He is always supportive, and must have been a proud-dad moment when he stayed awake to see me off at 230am. In typical dad fashion, he snuck in an extra couple of biscuit snacks in my top box!
Neither me or the camera were very sharp at this time of day. The hardest part of the first fill was scrolling through the bike's display to get to the Odometer at 242am, otherwise the roads were nice and quiet as I headed out of Sydney. I was making good time to Yass, in and out of showers through to Narrandera - where some thunder and lightning started. I filled at Ampol, but the receipt didn't have an address. No ATM from what I could see upon re-entering the store. I spotted a Mobil just down the road, so I went to use their ATM. Again, no address on the ATM receipt. Must be time for a Snickers... that did the trick! Address, time and date sorted for the odometer photo.
Thankfully, it was more wind gusts than pouring rain. The bulk of the storm passed around me as I travelled, leaving large puddles and streams of water on the road - for which I reduced my speed somewhat, and avoided attempting to pass trucks until the road was drier. The spray coming off the back of them left no visibility beyond their tail lights. The countryside was scrubby and sparsely vegetated. Occasionally the landscape would have a paddock of sheep, or cows, or crops - but I could not recall seeing multiple types in a paddock. So it came as a surprise to see hundreds of sheep in a paddock full of what looked like a green crop ready for harvesting. I wondered if the farmer knew the sheep were munching on his greens... with so many of them in there, I presumed it was on purpose. I hope so for both the sheep and farmer's sake. Before long, I arrived at my primary destination.
As arranged with a mate, a hot coffee was most welcome before I headed to Deniliquin - the Ute capital of the World.
Picturesque countryside was either side of me as I headed to Darlington Point. I would happily ride that section again from Deniliquin... very nice. Upon filling-up at Darlington Point BP, I noticed another receipt without a precise address. I elected to stop at Griffith for a top-up and expected the Coles Express to have an address - which it did. Odometer photo... check.
Bike-wise, the Yammie was comfortable enough. With the Airhawk cushion, I did keep sliding forward too much toward the tank, but it was manageable. The rear passenger seat came in handy to regularly stretch my back. The 3-pot engine was a nice change in soundtrack, which triggered me to contemplate getting a triple in the future. Probably not a Tracer GT, since my 1250RS is comfier and serves a similar purpose - but a Triumph like a Rocket 3 or Daytona 675. The only major complaint I had was with the throttle-side jog wheel to select menu functions... it can have its own mind and be unresponsive every so often. For me, the bike highlights were the heated grips, cruise control, reliability and handling... it handled really well. Amongst the wind gusts, potholes, and varying road conditions - it always felt planted on its Michelin Road 5 GT tyres. I noted it was more nimble that I expected, giving me the ability to change lines mid-corner on command. I was left more impressed than not.
As the sun started to set around Lake Cargelligo, I knew I was running at least 30-45 mins behind plan, but I had to stop for these next photos. The photos from my phone didn't capture how stunning the light cast itself on everything. Stopping also gave me pause, to realise how lucky I was to be able to proceed on my route... given recent flood waters. I'll admit, I forgot to check the Country Road Closures site beforehand.
Condobolin and Bathurst came easy... no wind or rain. Stopped at Bathurst for another coffee, a pit stop and a couple of quick calls to let people know I was going to be 1-2 hours behind plan. The coffee and estimate were spot on, as I hit dense fog coming into Lithgow. What were 80 zones, now required a maximum 30-40 km/h with the reduced visibility. Katoomba had the worst fog, ending only at the east end of Glenbrook before the downhill 90 zone. Fog takes a LOT of concentration, so I was very glad to see the M4. Swiftly onto the M7 then M5 and back in The Shire for the final fill at the same servo I started from, at 156am. Again, Dad was there to greet me after the servo, and encourage me to have something to eat after my longest single stint of riding to date: 1774 kms in 23 hours 14 mins.
Surprisingly, I was wide awake and only slightly sore - but not drowsy or unsafe. This was my main concern for this ride, so I was pleased this set me up nicely for my first overseas certified ride attempt in late May - where I've planned 1245 miles (2000km) within 21-22 hours.
My learnings from this trip were to remember to check for road closures beforehand, and to allow extra time for weather in my planning. It's a great route I'd do again, but would try it in the reverse direction next time - just for kicks. One last thought... I was covering my brake spotting for wildlife at various times of the day and locations, but I didn't come across anything. Little to no roadkill either. Perhaps it was due to the weather. The weather sure did make this one of my most challenging & rewarding rides to date.
Like my previous Summer Solstice ride, I wanted this to be certified for both the Autumn Equinox and count toward the Piston Diversity Insanity Award. Not having a 3-cylinder engine in the Foxton stable, I made arrangements to hire a Yamaha MT09 Tracer GT. It just so happened the rental company was in the next suburb to where I grew-up, so it was a no-brainer to start the journey from my dad's place - the family home where I grew up in The Shire.
Dad had been hearing about my long distance rides, and it was his first chance to see my preparation before I set off. He is always supportive, and must have been a proud-dad moment when he stayed awake to see me off at 230am. In typical dad fashion, he snuck in an extra couple of biscuit snacks in my top box!
Neither me or the camera were very sharp at this time of day. The hardest part of the first fill was scrolling through the bike's display to get to the Odometer at 242am, otherwise the roads were nice and quiet as I headed out of Sydney. I was making good time to Yass, in and out of showers through to Narrandera - where some thunder and lightning started. I filled at Ampol, but the receipt didn't have an address. No ATM from what I could see upon re-entering the store. I spotted a Mobil just down the road, so I went to use their ATM. Again, no address on the ATM receipt. Must be time for a Snickers... that did the trick! Address, time and date sorted for the odometer photo.
Thankfully, it was more wind gusts than pouring rain. The bulk of the storm passed around me as I travelled, leaving large puddles and streams of water on the road - for which I reduced my speed somewhat, and avoided attempting to pass trucks until the road was drier. The spray coming off the back of them left no visibility beyond their tail lights. The countryside was scrubby and sparsely vegetated. Occasionally the landscape would have a paddock of sheep, or cows, or crops - but I could not recall seeing multiple types in a paddock. So it came as a surprise to see hundreds of sheep in a paddock full of what looked like a green crop ready for harvesting. I wondered if the farmer knew the sheep were munching on his greens... with so many of them in there, I presumed it was on purpose. I hope so for both the sheep and farmer's sake. Before long, I arrived at my primary destination.
As arranged with a mate, a hot coffee was most welcome before I headed to Deniliquin - the Ute capital of the World.
Picturesque countryside was either side of me as I headed to Darlington Point. I would happily ride that section again from Deniliquin... very nice. Upon filling-up at Darlington Point BP, I noticed another receipt without a precise address. I elected to stop at Griffith for a top-up and expected the Coles Express to have an address - which it did. Odometer photo... check.
Bike-wise, the Yammie was comfortable enough. With the Airhawk cushion, I did keep sliding forward too much toward the tank, but it was manageable. The rear passenger seat came in handy to regularly stretch my back. The 3-pot engine was a nice change in soundtrack, which triggered me to contemplate getting a triple in the future. Probably not a Tracer GT, since my 1250RS is comfier and serves a similar purpose - but a Triumph like a Rocket 3 or Daytona 675. The only major complaint I had was with the throttle-side jog wheel to select menu functions... it can have its own mind and be unresponsive every so often. For me, the bike highlights were the heated grips, cruise control, reliability and handling... it handled really well. Amongst the wind gusts, potholes, and varying road conditions - it always felt planted on its Michelin Road 5 GT tyres. I noted it was more nimble that I expected, giving me the ability to change lines mid-corner on command. I was left more impressed than not.
As the sun started to set around Lake Cargelligo, I knew I was running at least 30-45 mins behind plan, but I had to stop for these next photos. The photos from my phone didn't capture how stunning the light cast itself on everything. Stopping also gave me pause, to realise how lucky I was to be able to proceed on my route... given recent flood waters. I'll admit, I forgot to check the Country Road Closures site beforehand.
Condobolin and Bathurst came easy... no wind or rain. Stopped at Bathurst for another coffee, a pit stop and a couple of quick calls to let people know I was going to be 1-2 hours behind plan. The coffee and estimate were spot on, as I hit dense fog coming into Lithgow. What were 80 zones, now required a maximum 30-40 km/h with the reduced visibility. Katoomba had the worst fog, ending only at the east end of Glenbrook before the downhill 90 zone. Fog takes a LOT of concentration, so I was very glad to see the M4. Swiftly onto the M7 then M5 and back in The Shire for the final fill at the same servo I started from, at 156am. Again, Dad was there to greet me after the servo, and encourage me to have something to eat after my longest single stint of riding to date: 1774 kms in 23 hours 14 mins.
Surprisingly, I was wide awake and only slightly sore - but not drowsy or unsafe. This was my main concern for this ride, so I was pleased this set me up nicely for my first overseas certified ride attempt in late May - where I've planned 1245 miles (2000km) within 21-22 hours.
My learnings from this trip were to remember to check for road closures beforehand, and to allow extra time for weather in my planning. It's a great route I'd do again, but would try it in the reverse direction next time - just for kicks. One last thought... I was covering my brake spotting for wildlife at various times of the day and locations, but I didn't come across anything. Little to no roadkill either. Perhaps it was due to the weather. The weather sure did make this one of my most challenging & rewarding rides to date.
