50 cc Gold. Coogee to Scarborough.

Fatman

Well-Known Member
#1
As most of you would know our first 50cc east – west attempt on December 28th finished abruptly 20km west of Narrandera, were we broke the rear universal joint and had to wait to get towed. Long story short we repaired it in a day and had the bike back ready to try a 50cc again.

So with the bike repaired in quick time, bags repacked and after checking the weather details we decided that leaving Sydney on Sunday 3rd January would see us with as good temperatures as we could imagine for summer. Enterprise was still happy to allow us to stay overnight and again escort us to Coogee as was Gus and Lindsay to meet us in Perth at the end of the ride. Take 2 was about ready to launch.

Lynne “the pillion” and I rode from home again heading north on New Year’s Day (as we had done on Boxing Day a few days earlier) again taking it very easy this time stopping at Gundagai in 40 degree heat around 3pm rather than Yass as we had previously. We don’t want this to be the same as last time. At McDonalds and bugger me we bump into friend and FarRider Macca (Kim) and his better half Karen who were driving to Sydney. Lynne and I had decided to stay here overnight, relax just to allow us to be in our best physical condition prior to the big ride as we had been on the go nonstop since Boxing Day. Next day was to be a short ride to Pheasants Nest where Enterprise met us for coffee before we followed him around the M5 and over the Harbour Bridge to his place, again a different tactic to the previous. Our RT was running well after the repairs so all that was needed was a quick top up of the 3 litre camelback in our tank bag was all that was required prior to returning to our room to successfully collect Fatman’s item of clothing that were left there a week prior. Then we had ourselves eating delicious Chinese food for dinner followed by an early night.

Sunday 3rd Jan. Our alarm goes off at 2.15am as it did 6 days earlier, we know the routine up and showered, packed, this time ensuring all clothing was collected then a quick cuppa on the balcony and wondering what the next few days will bring us. We elected to have the sightseeing tour back over the bridge where the city looked great all lit up and then zig zagged down to Coogee beach this time there were many more people around than 6 days prior so with a few pics and a new sand sample taken again (No we didn’t use the original samples) we decided to head the Caltex 24 hr service station up the hill on Coogee Bay Rd. Knave and Rob were out early also, they must have enjoyed the Maccas at Sutton Forest so much they were to do it again. Unfortunately Kimmie and Cuddles couldn’t make the second send off but we were chuffed that they made the effort a week before. Thanks guys.

At Coogee beach.. again
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And some sand form the east coast

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Rob, me, Knave and Enterprise at Coogee servo. Take 2

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It was all a bit of a rush in the end as the servo attendant wouldn’t open the door to let us in, I think he was in the loo, no time for that mate that is not on my schedule! 3.58am Sunday 3rd start odo is 227,673km, start docket is obtained then I think I don’t have my jacket or helmet on, then as I get on the Beemer my helmet hit my torch that was clipped onto the top of the screen and shatters that into pieces, oh well chuck that in the tank bag for now and a lesson is learnt about being ride ready then get the receipt, precious minutes are wasted before we are away which could be needed later. 3949km to go and 50 hours to ride it, making sure we only look at the next stop kms and not the total ensures we keep our mind where it should be.

With Enterprise once again leading our convoy out onto the M5 and past the airport with the temp around 20 degrees we soon are on the open road heading south. We had planned to have a “light off” and with the precision of the RAAF Roulettes, Rob comes up to my right wing were he displays his Clearwater Sevina’s together with the K1600GTL standard headlights. For many kms we lit up our lights taking it in turns to show the road up in front. I run the Ericas with a pair of Narva 70’s that are pointed out the sides and I don’t think the combination do a bad job. Rob’s Sevina’s certainly shone further up the road but I think the Erica’s have more light on the road in front of the bike over the first 200m or so, not sure what you thought Rob. Both were great set ups I would say. We had 4 Beemers, 2x RT’s and 2 x K1600’s purring down the highway with 3 peeling off to have some Brekky and Lynne and I as we had done recently riding alone in the darkness with our twin girls, Erica and Erica. As the boys peeled off Lynne saluted them on their way. We were happy that the temp through the Southern Highlands was 16 degrees, the week prior it was a chilly 9 from memory. Gundagai was our first stop with 369km at 7.30am, 15min ahead of schedule so we decided to keep to our 15min break and leave at our due time.

The turn off to Wagga Wagga comes quickly and now we are truly heading west and feel we are pointing in the right direction. Interestingly our moving average went from 107kmh down to 97kmh by the time we got through the town, it takes some time. A very quick stretch at Narrandera not even turning the bike off saw us counting down the 20 kms to the spot where we broke down 6 days ago, we powered past there and next fuel stop was at Hay South at 11.12am, 354km / 723km total from start and 18min ahead and we stopped here for 30min. The temperature was starting to climb as expected to low 30’s I decided to don my cool vest which I bought prior to the first attempt, and had only used it standing waiting for the tow truck up till now. I must say it works quite well with air flow through the jacket being the key, it would last each fuel stop maybe longer depending on the outside temp but is very easy and more importantly quick to refresh with a bottle of water in a plastic bag for 5 minutes or so. There were a couple of Harley riders here who suggested that we might want to purchase a cushion seat thingy for more comfort and with that Lynne responded with, ‘oh you mean an air hawk, yes we have one but our seats are very comfortable’. With that he got on his bike and rode off.

Yamba SA is our next fuel stop with a quick stretch in between to keep the blood flow to our legs happening. Mildura is another town that slows you up but that can’t be helped as you have to go through it. It was on the western outskirts that Fatman noticed a guy stepping in front of a caravan on the side of the road and thinking he was going to get wiped out but to his surprise it was the one and only FarRider Chicky who pops up out of the blue taking a picture of us as we rode past, with a quick wave and Lynne and I getting a lift from seeing him there we continued onto Yamba through some welcoming showers with some lightning just to show off, but then the sun reappears and the humidity starts. Lynne was willing the rain clouds to come back to cool us down again but alas that didn’t happen. No fruit sir at the checkpoint at Yamba and we arrive for fuel was at 3.11pm, 34min ahead of schedule, this allowed us to have an extended rest stop of 30min and still be 30 odd min in front of our schedule. 414km / 1137km total from start.

Yamba looking west

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Port Augusta is next and had us going to Morgan and turning right towards Burra. We hadn’t seen any wildlife to this point, but within a couple of kms of this intersection a salt bush on our left grew instantly to about 1.5 metres tall and turned out to be a big emu, he obviously wanted to cross the road, he stepped out onto the road then accelerated from our left, next thing he was in front of us right in the bullseye waiting to be collected! One thing I have learnt about riding a Beemer is in a panic situation I don’t want to be on anything else, so sure footed as I hit the brakes with all my might with LTP’s airbags deploying and hitting me nicely in my back and the rear tyre must have seen air, but as quick as the emu appeared he had gone to our right side and we missed him by 2-3 metres I guess. We had a strong head wind on the section and with fuel calculations in my head thinking we may not make the 408km to Port Augusta so we decided to have a toilet break in Burra and feed the tank the 5L of fuel from our jerry can which is stored in the top box, rather than risk it and find we had to stop again for fuel later. Temps now were around 28 degrees and rather pleasant conditions to ride in, apart from the strong head and now side buffeting winds though Spalding, Gulnaire and Crystal Brook. The Gull servo in Port Augusta is our preferred supplier and arrived there at 7.45pm. 30min for a salad sandwich and Gatorade. 408km / 1545km total from start. When Lynne went in to pay for the fuel the attendant automatically asked if we had any paperwork to be signed, Lynne was astonished, but the attendants have got to know the orange nailed “LTP” over the years. It’s a good feeling being known that you don’t need to explain why you need signatures but on this ride we didn’t need a signature but she understood that we were on a ride that didn’t allow us time to sit around and with that she got our food and delivered it to us rather quickly. After our break here we were gearing up and looking at the trucks around wondering if we would see our truck driver friend that had recognised us on a few previous rides, but that was to no avail.

With the sun setting we head off towards Ceduna which is our rest stop with a planned stretch halfway. Enterprise had said he seems to notice wildlife between Port Augusta and Kimba and we did the same, a couple of roos jumping around but not in our path. It only seems a short time earlier that Rob and I had our “light off” but the daylight had all gone so the Clearwater’s were doing their job again. I planned a lower average speed for this night section of some 94kmh as I knew animals can be a concern but also fatigue could start to creep in, we were both feeling well and alert, I think Lynne’s air bag system had returned to normal after deployment during the previous emu incident. I signalled a B double to pass us so I didn’t hold him up, he was grateful and thanked me with the left, right, left flash of his indicators. Kyancutta seemed to be a good spot to pull up for a 10min stretch. Ceduna came up soon after and we found ourselves at the BP 24hr servo at 1.46am where we refuelled and got our pre booked motel room key but were 15min behind our schedule. 473km / 2018km total from start. And Lynne got the SS2000km/24hr finish docs signed off just in case we don’t make it to Perth. Sleep time is precious on these rides so off to sleep we went.

It seems as though we had just put our heads down and the alarm sounds soon at 6.15am and we are packed and away at 6.45am passing the windmill town of Penong where Davo’s famous picture of the road sign is , passing Nundroo and Yalata before pulling in at Nullarbor RH at 9.21am for fuel and a bite to eat. 294km / 2312km total from start. Our fuel stops across the Nullarbor are closer together as most times the wind increases your fuel consumption so better to be safe than sorry, it is a long way for a pillion to push a motorbike after all. (Pillions do have their advantages) We pass this way each year as we run across for the annual border run so this section is familiar to us both and no surprises today.

From here you get a great view of the Great Australian Bight to our left and the numerous caravaners still not on the road after their night above the cliffs with million dollar views. Straight pass the Border Village and the bike thinks we are pulling in here, no not today I tell the old girl maybe on the way home. We stop at the next checkpoint and he wants to check the top box and panniers, no worries no fruit only gatorades, muesli bars and barley sugars, I take the opportunity to get off the bike and stretch also, never miss chance to stretch I say. We soon drop down to the lower level plateau after Eucla and soon our next refuel comes into sight, Mundrabilla at 10.21am (local western central time). 262km / 2574km total from start. Gus had warned me prior to the start that there is no premium fuel here but the kms suited us so normal unleaded is fine for the next leg. 15min and we are gone after a finish signature for a BB2500/36hr was obtained.

This section usually has a lot of wildlife and road kill with big eagles feasting on the recently killed gourmet meat but there was little around today, although there are some great views to our right as we run along the base of the cliffs of the Hampton Tableland until Madura Pass where we climb back up to the top and give Davo’s memorial rock a nod as we pass, no time to stop Davo but will see you on the return run to pay respects I say to myself. Cocklebiddy comes and goes while the temperature today have been a very nice low 20’s but we know it will get hotter later in the day. We hit Caiguna at 12.07pm (Perth time) some 54min ahead of our due time. 272km / 2846km total from start.

With the temp now getting to 30 degrees we turn left out of Caiguna and immediately start on the longest straight in the world 146km long if not for the wind it may have become boring. Past Newman Rock, Fraser Range and Norseman is our next stop at the BP for another salad sandwich for dinner, time 4.17pm. While here a group young guys filled up their car with fuel but no one had money, the staff were sorting that one out. Then approx 20 Harley riders came in and we made sure we exited before them, I assumed they would be heading back to Kalgoorlie, I thought they were miners but could be wrong. 370km / 3216km total from start. SS3000km/48hr finish docs signed.

Caiguna road house

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The road heading north from Norseman twists and weaves for some time which make for a welcome change but before too long Coolgardie appears in front of us. Another quick stretch and a phone call to Gus who immediately knows by the timing we would be in Coolgardie, he is ready to meet us along with Lindsay at the bottom of the Greenmount hill.

Come in Gus, are you there.

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We decide to send the Spot ok as we leave the Southern Cross refuel so he knows when to expect us. The sunset was setting on our left and with no daylight savings it went down sooner than we are used to but it was a great view, but my mind was on roos at this dangerous time. None appeared and by the time we arrived at Southern Cross at 8.10pm it was dark again but still over 30 degrees, I thought it would cool off a bit soon, for the first time on this ride I was starting to feel the heat, maybe some fatigue was coming on although I felt ok in the mind and not sleepy. I had a Red Bull and it did seem to lift me a bit, it did give me wings. 352km / 3568km total from start.

The home stretch and along here you cross the railway track numerous times and then we caught up with a train on our right and followed it for some time. I had not been on this road since 1984 driving a VK Commodore and I remember getting a speeding fine at Merredin, not tonight though. At Kellerberrin we were both feeling the 33 degree temp and a stretch at a closed servo on the left saw me soaking the cool down vest that I had not needed today at all and put it on for the final stint into Perth, mind you just down the road at Northam the temps finally started to drop into the mid 20’s which was welcomed by us both, then I had to close the jacket vents to stop be getting too cold. I sent an OK Spot message coming down Bakers Hill some 50km from Greenmount knowing Gus and Lindsay would notice it. Over the next 10km or so we saw the most wildlife of the whole ride with 1 big roo sleeping in the right lane I think getting the heat from the tar then another smaller one appears with a Joey looking out as we ride pass and a few others not so close, Lynne screamed out it’s an flaming (or a word to that effect) Zoo out here which gave us both a laugh. The Great Eastern Hwy (Not too great) drops quite sharply into Perth and Gus said we will meet you at the bottom of the hill at Greenmount and sure enough he and Lindsay were there on time and it was great to see them both. We had plenty of time so with that Gus led the way to the Scarborough BP 24hr servo some 35km away, the finish receipt indicates a time of 1.06am which means we took 48hrs 8mins to complete the 3949km (Google Maps) ride, finish bike odo was 231,610km = 3,937km.

Scarborough BP, we got here!

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The beach

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I had always planned a 60min buffer time in my schedule just in case so was very happy with that, and nearly needed it as I had noticed the dash tyre pressure readout was indicating the rear tyre had a slow leak. It had gone from 46 down to 41PSI over the last few hours but I knew it would last to Scarborough. Checked it the next day at Gus’s and found a screw through it, so out comes the puncture kit and sealed it with a plug which lasted all the way home.


A huge thanks to Enterprise and Carol for putting up with us and yes washing my jocks I had accidentally left there the week prior. Thanks Enterprise for leading us out to Coogee and then onto the highway southbound, twice!

Kimmie, Cuddles, Knave and Rob for coming along and seeing us out the gate, it did lift our spirits only sorry Kimmie and Cuddles couldn’t make the take 2 run but completely understand.

Chicky it was fantastic to see you on the side of the road at Mildura, thank you.

Lindsay for meeting us at the bottom of the hill in the middle of the night, thank you.

Gus you are a legend of the west, not only meeting and showing us the way to Scarborough but letting us stay 3 nights and giving us a run of your house and beers etc. Then coming out on a couple of day rides where we went to Peter Brock’s memorial where he was killed, Toodyay for lunch some nice back roads and then next day to the Freo beach where Davo use to finish his 50cc rides. Thank you Gus.

Brocky’s memorial and our tour guide

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And while we didn’t have a lot of time to respond to your posts on the thread that Enterprise started we did read them from time to time and we were both very touched by your well wishes and good luck messages. Thank you to all FarRiders, what a great bunch of people.

On our way home we stopped at both Madura Pass Davo’s Memorial Rock and Horrocks Pass Plaque and sprinkled some sand from the east and west coast

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We also stopped at Border Village but we must be too early for check in I guess

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tj189

Premier Member
#2
Great write up like all your reports, appreciate you sharing your journey with us. Also had a bit of a cackle with the rear air bags and not sure I believe that there was any expletive used by Lynn ;)
 

Skidoo

Premier Member
#3
Loved the ride report Michael. It felt like I was riding with you. The run through Wagga really is a drag to say the least. Loved the pics. There is always so much support from fellow riders to show us the way out of a place and then back in at the other end. Love it, that's what it's all about.

Well done Michael and Lynne, an awesome ride and an awesome riding duo!
 

Grey Gentry

Premier Member
#6
"30 min for a salad sandwich and a gatorade" When are you going to pull your finger out and have a go? ;)

Great ride, great tale. Well done on the crossing, Fatman and LTP.
 

Abe

Active Member
#7
Another great ride and ride report there fatman and LTP. :)

I see all those years of Rallies and your Trade came in very handy, hence the quick repair time, fatman.
 

Marls

Well-Known Member
#9
Great, Fantastic, it's done and dusted..
Now for the next step. And wait for that confirmation.
Tnx, felt I was close to you all the way.
 

Fatman

Well-Known Member
#10
Another great ride and ride report there fatman and LTP. :)

I see all those years of Rallies and your Trade came in very handy, hence the quick repair time, fatman.
Some things come in handy now and then Dave.

Great, Fantastic, it's done and dusted..
Now for the next step. And wait for that confirmation.
Tnx, felt I was close to you all the way.
Thanks Marls and Ron, we were keeping an eye out for you guys as we came through Mildura but we knew you were both busy also getting new another bike, it was nice to see Chicky on the side of the road which was uplifting for us both.
 

Lonerider

Premier Member
#12
Well done, especially 2 up!! Great read and some food for thought.
Parkes is a hell of a lot closer to Sydney than Perth :rolleyes:
It'll be a lot cooler in July :eek: Really give me a chance to use my "Warm & Safe " gear
 

Grey Gentry

Premier Member
#15
Well done Fatman and LTP. The other certificates shown, I'd had them before I'd tried that ride. Didn't think to put in for them, again. Just of the top of my head, it was 21 hours for the leg of 2000, as planned.