Aussies @ IBR23 prep
- Thread starter Martin Little
- Start date
Mid summer and we are out stress testing ourselves, literally yesterday. (Saturday 14 Jan).
With the RT off the road due to a split radiator, (parts on the way from Germany) we took the K1600GT for a 1,133km/10,000 corner ride through the Victorian Alps. Coming down the GAR from Mt Hotham to Bruthen we saw temperatures of 38 degrees, it was hot! We then finished that off with a ride up the Bonang, with 10kms of gravel in a thunderstorm, good times!
Olaf Moon joined us too as part of his ride prep.
Here are some photos from the ride.
Sunrise over the western foothills of the Snowies
Fueling up at Tumbarumba
Lake Hume, with temperatures rising
At the top of Australia, Mount Hotham on The Great Alpine Road.
Cooling off on the Bonang, dripping wet from a thunderstorm, a welcome relief after the 38 degrees an hour or so earlier
With the RT off the road due to a split radiator, (parts on the way from Germany) we took the K1600GT for a 1,133km/10,000 corner ride through the Victorian Alps. Coming down the GAR from Mt Hotham to Bruthen we saw temperatures of 38 degrees, it was hot! We then finished that off with a ride up the Bonang, with 10kms of gravel in a thunderstorm, good times!
Olaf Moon joined us too as part of his ride prep.
Here are some photos from the ride.
Sunrise over the western foothills of the Snowies
Fueling up at Tumbarumba
Lake Hume, with temperatures rising
At the top of Australia, Mount Hotham on The Great Alpine Road.
Cooling off on the Bonang, dripping wet from a thunderstorm, a welcome relief after the 38 degrees an hour or so earlier
Australia Day coming up, I've got the Friday off work, so I'm heading out for a 3 day gallop up to Qld, return to Canberra via the long way home. Here's my Spotwalla link. Departing early o'clock Thursday morning. (Australia Day)
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/975c-1493edd-a406/view
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/975c-1493edd-a406/view
I had to reroute and head back down to the M1.
Heading up the Gwydir Highway I rode into the worst storm I have ever experienced. The hail was the size of golf balls, (i have the bruises to show for it), the winds were blowing over trees and vision was almost zero. About a third of the way up, after riding around two trees partially blocking the road, traffic was halted by a huge tree that blocked both lanes and the verges either side. I couldn't get the bike around this one. After consulting with other travelers in their cars, the road wasn't opening any time soon, as the SES were on the way but dealing with other multiples callouts from this storm.
Decision made for me. Reroute!
Heading up the Gwydir Highway I rode into the worst storm I have ever experienced. The hail was the size of golf balls, (i have the bruises to show for it), the winds were blowing over trees and vision was almost zero. About a third of the way up, after riding around two trees partially blocking the road, traffic was halted by a huge tree that blocked both lanes and the verges either side. I couldn't get the bike around this one. After consulting with other travelers in their cars, the road wasn't opening any time soon, as the SES were on the way but dealing with other multiples callouts from this storm.
Decision made for me. Reroute!
The purpose of this ride was to test my preparations for IBR23, doing a multi-day ride at my IBR pace in mid-summer, while collecting a few easy bonus photos along the way.
This ride was successfully completed and was invaluable with many lessons learnt/relearnt along the way, (it’s been 3 & ½ years since our last rally, IBR19)
Here's a brief overview of the ride, lessons learnt/relearnt plus some other observations
The technical stuff.
Dawn, west bound on the Barrier Highway, SA.
Lightening Ridge, NSW. (with not much gas left in the tank!)
This ride was successfully completed and was invaluable with many lessons learnt/relearnt along the way, (it’s been 3 & ½ years since our last rally, IBR19)
Here's a brief overview of the ride, lessons learnt/relearnt plus some other observations
The technical stuff.
- Day 1. 1,612kms zig zagging my up the east coast over the Great Dividing Range.
- My bonus photo taking routine was slow and out of practise.
- Hydration and nutrition strategy was working well
- A reroute on the fly due to road closure on the Gywdir was a good challenge to out a twist into the plans for day 1.
- Day 2. 1,613kms through Outback Qld and NSW.
- The heat was tough with temperatures into the low 40’s
- Hydration strategy was tested and retested
- Time differences between QLD, NSW and South Australia make a difference to ones route planning.
- Day 3.1,504kms from Broken Hill down to South Australia to Burra, then home via Mildura.
- Another bad day of heat with temperatures into the low 40’s again
- Used bags of ice to stay cool, worked a treat
- Total distance covered for the 3 days 4,730kms.
- Don’t wait to deploy one’s strategies to address the excessive heat. I waited probably till mid-afternoon on Day 2 to put on my cool vest. I could have/should have started earlier.
- Day 2, the muscle memory of multi-day rides kicked in. Relax, ride efficiently and safely while constantly monitoring things.
- Make good decisions.
- Never ride past an open petrol station in the Outback! (Repeat that to myself)
- My fuel strategy was to always fuel up with circa 200km range left in the GSA’s tank. This provided was my safety buffer, for poor decision making or shite happens.
- This buffer was blown out the door, when I arrived at Hebel QLD to find the ULP pump out of action. I had ridden past Dirranbandi petrol stations earlier, wondering, should stop for fuel?
- Next fuel stop after Hebel was Walgett, NSW, which left me with a theoretical 1 litre of gas in the tank. I put 29.5 litres into the 30-litre tank. That was too close of comfort, given the 40-degree day.
- The Barrier Highway.
- Late afternoon of Day 2 I was beat, the 40+ degree afternoon had taken its toll and as I fueled up in Cobar, I weighed up the option of overnighting there.
- Made the decision to push on knowing I could stop at either Emmdale Roadhouse or Wilcannia.
- As I started out along the Barrier, a sense of calmness and peace returned. At Emmdale Roadhouse, as I topped up the tank (never ride past an open petrol station/make good decisions!) the proprietor and I chatted briefly, she knew what I was doing, heading west at that time of the evening. No judgement, just a kind word of encouragement, “ride well mate”
- Netallie Hill. I stopped to take a moment at the IBA Memorial, with the sun dipping below the horizon, it was so peaceful.
- And the sunset riding towards Broken Hill, WOW!
- Next morning, after 2 hours in the pre-dawn darkness heading into South Australia, sunrise at the Quarantine Station check at Oodla Wirra, the Quarantine office made my morning, he was a motorcyclist and had been listening to the big GSA coming from 15kms away. Again, no judgement when I replied I had come from Broken Hill, he walked around the bike, gave me a few tips for the road ahead and said enjoy yourself.
Dawn, west bound on the Barrier Highway, SA.
Lightening Ridge, NSW. (with not much gas left in the tank!)
There was surprisingly little road kill about in the Outback. QLD almost none, NSW there was some along the Barrier Highway but nothing like previous trips. Saw plenty of emus/foxes/rabbits etc plus a few roos. The most roo's were on the Barrier, early evening of Day 2 and early morning of Day 3, no surprises there.
A bigger problem were birds. The amount of birds on the roads, or on the side of the road was quite high and there were a few near misses,
A bigger problem were birds. The amount of birds on the roads, or on the side of the road was quite high and there were a few near misses,