It was a weird time for me to be starting a ride, but at 19:09hr on a Wednesday I grabbed a docket from my local servo .
4752km on the ZOmBie KLR odo, I reset the GPS and headed off on a hot and steamy evening. A simple commute up the Pacific Highway to the BP at Port Macquarie (21:52hr, 235km odo, 16.15L) and a chance to buy some Norco chocolate milk at the corner.
A quiet trip through Wauchope
Then onto the Ox proper. This was to be the first of 4 rides on the Ox over the next couple of weeks. I've put some spotlights on the KLR and for the next 165km they stayed on. Its been a freakish run of solo nights on this road for me. Excellent.
For a little break I stopped at the rest area just east of Gingers Creek.
Then hopped back on and continued along this mecca road. The big servo in Walcha has just changed hands from Caltex to a little local brand and they are yet to reconfigure the 24 hour card swiper, but around the corner at the NRMA depot their one works just fine (00:47hr, 408km, 11.69L).
From here I turned north onto Thunderbolt's Way, cut through Uralla and met up with the Gwydir Highway at Inverell (02:50hr, 572km, 10.06L).
It was a nice night to be out and about.
I'd seen a few roos about and counted 52 on the road through the night. Most of the last 20 were at speed and with me heading due west they were heading due south so coming from my right. William Goosen was discussing this 'attack roos' right vs left thing a while back.
Just east of Collarenebri I saw number 34 come straight out of the bushes and determined that with a feather of brakes he would fly straight by no problems. Then I saw number 35. Basically hopping together, 35 was trailing, but unfortunately was closer to me so slipped under my guard while I was aiming for the space behind 34. Me at 100, him at 50-60, straight into my full length boot tucked up as it was on the peg and effectively hit me and the bike at our combined centre of gravity. A hard hit like a soccer tackle or something, not even a shimmy of the bars and score bike 1, kangaroo 0. I rolled into a u-turn to check on the beast and at first wasn't sure which roo was 'my' roo. There are lots of dead roos out there. No sign of life, no pouch and futile or not I dragged him off the road lest someone drive over 'my' roo. There are lots of dead roos out there.
I ran out of petrol about 3km from my next stop, unclicked the jerry for a splash and filled up properly at Walgett (07:44hr, 932km, 21.7L).
From here it's down the Castlereagh Highway. I recall the first time I rode this road was with TigerBill toward the end of Ghosty's practice rally a few years back. It was raining, I was riding a twitchy Triumph Speed Triple and the bumpy old Castlereagh. I was moaning about the bumps as I pulled up at the finish in Lightning Ridge and Mosey Angle basically told me to toughen up. Good call and fair
. This time I'm on a KLR which perhaps due to its 'Minecraft' camo, or perhaps its Zombie Hunter stickers or perhaps due to its long-travel suspension and knobby tyres I didn't notice the bumps. So Mosey I'm not sure if I have toughened up, but I wasn't moaning about it on this run
Through Coonamble
I turned off the road south of Gulargambone heading west through Armatree (what a nice looking location for a gathering one day - http://www.armatreehotel.com.au/) and on to some skinny little back roads
Then a bit of zigging back on the Ox to zag onto the Mitchell at Trangie (11:17hr, 1213km, 21.05L)
Now its just rolling home. Through Dubbo onto the Golden Highway, propped at Dunedoo
Then filled for the last time at Merriwa (14:51hr, 1482km, 21.07L).
Then an uneventful finish with the commuters back in Newcastle (17:13hr, 1666km GPS, no fuel)
This ride (with the 'Violet' ride on the six cylinder Valkyrie a couple of weeks ago) is part of a series. The IBA call it 'Piston Diversity'. It is that. I'm aiming to do an LD ride on bikes of 1-2-3-4 and 6 cylinders. In one month.
4752km on the ZOmBie KLR odo, I reset the GPS and headed off on a hot and steamy evening. A simple commute up the Pacific Highway to the BP at Port Macquarie (21:52hr, 235km odo, 16.15L) and a chance to buy some Norco chocolate milk at the corner.
A quiet trip through Wauchope
Then onto the Ox proper. This was to be the first of 4 rides on the Ox over the next couple of weeks. I've put some spotlights on the KLR and for the next 165km they stayed on. Its been a freakish run of solo nights on this road for me. Excellent.
For a little break I stopped at the rest area just east of Gingers Creek.
Then hopped back on and continued along this mecca road. The big servo in Walcha has just changed hands from Caltex to a little local brand and they are yet to reconfigure the 24 hour card swiper, but around the corner at the NRMA depot their one works just fine (00:47hr, 408km, 11.69L).
From here I turned north onto Thunderbolt's Way, cut through Uralla and met up with the Gwydir Highway at Inverell (02:50hr, 572km, 10.06L).
It was a nice night to be out and about.
I'd seen a few roos about and counted 52 on the road through the night. Most of the last 20 were at speed and with me heading due west they were heading due south so coming from my right. William Goosen was discussing this 'attack roos' right vs left thing a while back.
Just east of Collarenebri I saw number 34 come straight out of the bushes and determined that with a feather of brakes he would fly straight by no problems. Then I saw number 35. Basically hopping together, 35 was trailing, but unfortunately was closer to me so slipped under my guard while I was aiming for the space behind 34. Me at 100, him at 50-60, straight into my full length boot tucked up as it was on the peg and effectively hit me and the bike at our combined centre of gravity. A hard hit like a soccer tackle or something, not even a shimmy of the bars and score bike 1, kangaroo 0. I rolled into a u-turn to check on the beast and at first wasn't sure which roo was 'my' roo. There are lots of dead roos out there. No sign of life, no pouch and futile or not I dragged him off the road lest someone drive over 'my' roo. There are lots of dead roos out there.
I ran out of petrol about 3km from my next stop, unclicked the jerry for a splash and filled up properly at Walgett (07:44hr, 932km, 21.7L).
From here it's down the Castlereagh Highway. I recall the first time I rode this road was with TigerBill toward the end of Ghosty's practice rally a few years back. It was raining, I was riding a twitchy Triumph Speed Triple and the bumpy old Castlereagh. I was moaning about the bumps as I pulled up at the finish in Lightning Ridge and Mosey Angle basically told me to toughen up. Good call and fair
Through Coonamble
I turned off the road south of Gulargambone heading west through Armatree (what a nice looking location for a gathering one day - http://www.armatreehotel.com.au/) and on to some skinny little back roads
Then a bit of zigging back on the Ox to zag onto the Mitchell at Trangie (11:17hr, 1213km, 21.05L)
Now its just rolling home. Through Dubbo onto the Golden Highway, propped at Dunedoo
Then filled for the last time at Merriwa (14:51hr, 1482km, 21.07L).
Then an uneventful finish with the commuters back in Newcastle (17:13hr, 1666km GPS, no fuel)
This ride (with the 'Violet' ride on the six cylinder Valkyrie a couple of weeks ago) is part of a series. The IBA call it 'Piston Diversity'. It is that. I'm aiming to do an LD ride on bikes of 1-2-3-4 and 6 cylinders. In one month.
