Hola everyone,
SS1600k #2 report now up. This time it was north and back down during last November.
(Memory’s vague but covered most of the memorable moments, albeit without locations) hehe…
Now, where to begin about this ride?
It was very different to my mentored Iron Butt ride, but I’m no less appreciative of this one and learned to give myself more credit…
Line of steeds:
Honda CB400Super4
Yamaha YZF R3 (my steed)
Triumph 765 RS
Yamaha Nikin GT
——————
Let the ironing of the buttocks begin.
At 00:55 I woke up to Ariana Grande singing amazingly as she does. I autonomously hit snooze just so I could hear her sing again 8 minutes later…
Out of bed, I carried on with my ritual stretch and spray of magnesium.
Fur baby - set. Light breakfast - set.
…And to my shock and dismay (trying to not share TMI, but if you’re a fellow female rider, you’ll know what I mean when I say the first day cramps did indeed kick in). This surprise didn’t stop me- I thought to myself “If I could run city2surf (14km) on my 2 legs with the same condition, I’m giving it a crack on two wheels”.
Wanting to be as transparent as possible, I preemptively apologised to the other riders letting them know if they sensed any sort of discomfort or short tempered-ness from me, it wasn’t their doing…
Communication is key if you’ll be part of a group.
Within 15 minutes of my messages being sent, I received consolation (anxiety was turned down a notch and I was grateful of course).
After layering up and another lap of checking air pressure, fluids and bag security, I proceeded to wake my trusty steed with a roll down the driveway.
I was second to arrive at the start point- itchy to begin, I went ahead and did another lap around my bike.
Once the rest of the riders arrived, a prompt and shakey handed selfie of four slightly fluro riders was taken. We all nodded and put our helmets on.
So, comms should be very well sorted before take off. Unsure why we just rode off, but comms disconnected, then 5 seconds after dispersion we magically heard each others voices.
Making way for the leader to lead, there was a pause. No one was moving, then with a swift rev letting four pistons sing, our journey began with some Vtec…
Different to my first IB since the leader wanted to hang back most of the time (different styles of riding/ ride coordination most likely).
Then we all heard a yell “NO! You’re going the wrong way!”. Confused and just adamant we were all heading to the same main road anyway, I continued on.
Not even a full minute in and we got separated.
I called Bipyjamas to make sure we all had the same route and we did - still wasn’t sure what the fuss of taking an early left turn to only end up on the same road was about…
(Looking back, come to think of it, I had more than a handful of instances where I’d call him during this saddlesore).
Regardless, we managed to meet up with our 3 wheeled leader escorted to the front.
The ride north was certainly less road kill turbulent and more like an ad for silk sheets.
Some folds here and there, but nothing crime scene-esque like the journey to the Wild West.
Until Gosford and on through to Newcastle, the cotton candy vision hit us quite abruptly (as well as the road work).
Both Bipyjamas and I are both four eyes (adds another layer of “shit, I can’t see.”). My God that fog was so thick that he’d be a couple meters out and I’d lose sight of his brake light then see a glimpse of it as I’d come closer.
The undisclosed plan through the fog was to tackle it in pairs with an update on the comms every few moments... We couldn’t see 3 bikes in front at all, let alone if there was a corner up ahead. You’d think the roadwork signs would be beacons of hope - they were there for intermittent jump scares each time we’d think the road was clear.
We made it through the cotton candy mist and cheered.
The road then on was brisk and our banter mostly involved me getting told to go up a gear and yo-yo-ing of high beams and shivers… To those with cruise control, what’s that blessing like? XD
Mmm, if I recall it was maybe halfway point Bipyjamas decided to fork out and do his awesome twisty thing. So awesome that his tyre worn through (my God, I am just glad he was safe!).
Nothing other than usual stretchy stretch business occurred on the road. Before I knew it, I ended up leading the before four, now trifecta group out through the highway exit for much needed petrol for my spry R3.
At Halfway Creek, I passed tabledrain in the opposite direction on his way back from his ride in memory of Bam… That was a spark of inspiration!
After a wrong turn, extended route, making it to our turning point at Tweed Heads, a hike (literally) and a cafe catch up with a couple of someone’s mates (I can’t remember who)…
It was definitely time to turn back around!
(I think it was about here I found out what had happened to Bipyjamas’ tyre).
Being worried about him, I trekked solo whilst Triumph and Nikin GT proceeded with their planned route.
I just wanted to keeping in contact with Bipyjamas to try and keep both mine and his chin up.
(To be frank, I can’t fully remember what happened after this, but it was full of call attempts between Bipyjamas and I trying to make sure we were both ok).
Maybe 40 minutes in he thought I had saved the route only made for a longer range fuel tank (because the only language heard clearly was from the screeching wind. I think we both panicked and assumed the latter)…
So focused on trying to clarify comms with him I had lost reception and managed to trail off my route. Somehow Cjmckay managed to call and attempt to share a more fuel friendly route but reception had other plans…
Other plans that involved basically making Google maps almost redundant with all but an offline map I had saved.
What was my option?
A twisty, jagged leg route.
I needed to take the jagged leg and couldn’t turn back as I needed the fuel.
The jagged leg was a risk that I needed to roll with. Stencilled prior on the plan (luckily thanks to Bipyjamas) I had the offline file loaded into my account so I wasn’t completely blind.
It was twisty and unfamiliar. Dimmed with no street lights along with crests and a moon starting to howl for the stars, I was nervous but had a mission indeed. Get home to my family and get enough rest afterwards to be able to work the next day (lol).
Somehow, halfway through the woods, reception crawled back in and my phone went off with a welfare check from Bipyjamas (his and Cjmckay’s support honestly helped me get through the last quarter of this SS1600K).
Determination can’t slither away from me, I never have let it go and I certainly won’t let it go in the reception-less woods.
For the next hour I rode frustrated without clear comms or music to keep my pulse in rhythm…
My company was the wind seeping through my helmet - I begrudgingly put up with that until my next stop. Greatful that although the piercing of the high frequency wind whistles made it through my earplugs, I was indeed still lucky to have ear plugs…
Riding in complete darkness alone felt like a lullaby….
An hour and a half completely alone, no car in sight forward nor a spec of reflection behind - it was the first time sensations felt eerie on my bike.
Bends were magnetic and lines were like droplets tracing a kitchen tap…
Everything was quiet and loud all at the same time.
Yes! Headlights appeared and the next song on my playlist was funnnnnky… a convoy of cars were my pulse until the next fuel stop!
Then I managed to meet up with Triumph and Nikin GT - they were enjoying some dinner!
We briefly rode together then split up again as one of them needed to take a call.
I managed to fill up with fuel at my second last stop. To my delight (and relief) a chariot appeared with Bipyjamas safe and sound.
Nikin GT and Triumph shortly appeared too (we’re all safe- yes!). And off I went solo again…
Here comes the decent. The sweeping finagling bend into the green light of a finish line.
Done.
And, guess who was there?
My LDR mentor; Cjmckay was waiting for me at the finish line - I’m absolutely grateful that he was proud!
I can’t remember exactly how long- maybe 15-20mins after I acquired my finishing DBR for mints from a disinterested teller, Bipyjamas (inside 4 wheels), Triumph and Nikin GT then appeared.
We all congratulated one another and were congratulated by other group members and shortly after, I gave my steed a pat, rode home and that was that…
Then the heat pad worked its warm magic.
SS1600k #2 report now up. This time it was north and back down during last November.
(Memory’s vague but covered most of the memorable moments, albeit without locations) hehe…
Now, where to begin about this ride?
It was very different to my mentored Iron Butt ride, but I’m no less appreciative of this one and learned to give myself more credit…
Line of steeds:
Honda CB400Super4
Yamaha YZF R3 (my steed)
Triumph 765 RS
Yamaha Nikin GT
——————
Let the ironing of the buttocks begin.
At 00:55 I woke up to Ariana Grande singing amazingly as she does. I autonomously hit snooze just so I could hear her sing again 8 minutes later…
Out of bed, I carried on with my ritual stretch and spray of magnesium.
Fur baby - set. Light breakfast - set.
…And to my shock and dismay (trying to not share TMI, but if you’re a fellow female rider, you’ll know what I mean when I say the first day cramps did indeed kick in). This surprise didn’t stop me- I thought to myself “If I could run city2surf (14km) on my 2 legs with the same condition, I’m giving it a crack on two wheels”.
Wanting to be as transparent as possible, I preemptively apologised to the other riders letting them know if they sensed any sort of discomfort or short tempered-ness from me, it wasn’t their doing…
Communication is key if you’ll be part of a group.
Within 15 minutes of my messages being sent, I received consolation (anxiety was turned down a notch and I was grateful of course).
After layering up and another lap of checking air pressure, fluids and bag security, I proceeded to wake my trusty steed with a roll down the driveway.
I was second to arrive at the start point- itchy to begin, I went ahead and did another lap around my bike.
Once the rest of the riders arrived, a prompt and shakey handed selfie of four slightly fluro riders was taken. We all nodded and put our helmets on.
So, comms should be very well sorted before take off. Unsure why we just rode off, but comms disconnected, then 5 seconds after dispersion we magically heard each others voices.
Making way for the leader to lead, there was a pause. No one was moving, then with a swift rev letting four pistons sing, our journey began with some Vtec…
Different to my first IB since the leader wanted to hang back most of the time (different styles of riding/ ride coordination most likely).
Then we all heard a yell “NO! You’re going the wrong way!”. Confused and just adamant we were all heading to the same main road anyway, I continued on.
Not even a full minute in and we got separated.
I called Bipyjamas to make sure we all had the same route and we did - still wasn’t sure what the fuss of taking an early left turn to only end up on the same road was about…
(Looking back, come to think of it, I had more than a handful of instances where I’d call him during this saddlesore).
Regardless, we managed to meet up with our 3 wheeled leader escorted to the front.
The ride north was certainly less road kill turbulent and more like an ad for silk sheets.
Some folds here and there, but nothing crime scene-esque like the journey to the Wild West.
Until Gosford and on through to Newcastle, the cotton candy vision hit us quite abruptly (as well as the road work).
Both Bipyjamas and I are both four eyes (adds another layer of “shit, I can’t see.”). My God that fog was so thick that he’d be a couple meters out and I’d lose sight of his brake light then see a glimpse of it as I’d come closer.
The undisclosed plan through the fog was to tackle it in pairs with an update on the comms every few moments... We couldn’t see 3 bikes in front at all, let alone if there was a corner up ahead. You’d think the roadwork signs would be beacons of hope - they were there for intermittent jump scares each time we’d think the road was clear.
We made it through the cotton candy mist and cheered.
The road then on was brisk and our banter mostly involved me getting told to go up a gear and yo-yo-ing of high beams and shivers… To those with cruise control, what’s that blessing like? XD
Mmm, if I recall it was maybe halfway point Bipyjamas decided to fork out and do his awesome twisty thing. So awesome that his tyre worn through (my God, I am just glad he was safe!).
Nothing other than usual stretchy stretch business occurred on the road. Before I knew it, I ended up leading the before four, now trifecta group out through the highway exit for much needed petrol for my spry R3.
At Halfway Creek, I passed tabledrain in the opposite direction on his way back from his ride in memory of Bam… That was a spark of inspiration!
After a wrong turn, extended route, making it to our turning point at Tweed Heads, a hike (literally) and a cafe catch up with a couple of someone’s mates (I can’t remember who)…
It was definitely time to turn back around!
(I think it was about here I found out what had happened to Bipyjamas’ tyre).
Being worried about him, I trekked solo whilst Triumph and Nikin GT proceeded with their planned route.
I just wanted to keeping in contact with Bipyjamas to try and keep both mine and his chin up.
(To be frank, I can’t fully remember what happened after this, but it was full of call attempts between Bipyjamas and I trying to make sure we were both ok).
Maybe 40 minutes in he thought I had saved the route only made for a longer range fuel tank (because the only language heard clearly was from the screeching wind. I think we both panicked and assumed the latter)…
So focused on trying to clarify comms with him I had lost reception and managed to trail off my route. Somehow Cjmckay managed to call and attempt to share a more fuel friendly route but reception had other plans…
Other plans that involved basically making Google maps almost redundant with all but an offline map I had saved.
What was my option?
A twisty, jagged leg route.
I needed to take the jagged leg and couldn’t turn back as I needed the fuel.
The jagged leg was a risk that I needed to roll with. Stencilled prior on the plan (luckily thanks to Bipyjamas) I had the offline file loaded into my account so I wasn’t completely blind.
It was twisty and unfamiliar. Dimmed with no street lights along with crests and a moon starting to howl for the stars, I was nervous but had a mission indeed. Get home to my family and get enough rest afterwards to be able to work the next day (lol).
Somehow, halfway through the woods, reception crawled back in and my phone went off with a welfare check from Bipyjamas (his and Cjmckay’s support honestly helped me get through the last quarter of this SS1600K).
Determination can’t slither away from me, I never have let it go and I certainly won’t let it go in the reception-less woods.
For the next hour I rode frustrated without clear comms or music to keep my pulse in rhythm…
My company was the wind seeping through my helmet - I begrudgingly put up with that until my next stop. Greatful that although the piercing of the high frequency wind whistles made it through my earplugs, I was indeed still lucky to have ear plugs…
Riding in complete darkness alone felt like a lullaby….
An hour and a half completely alone, no car in sight forward nor a spec of reflection behind - it was the first time sensations felt eerie on my bike.
Bends were magnetic and lines were like droplets tracing a kitchen tap…
Everything was quiet and loud all at the same time.
Yes! Headlights appeared and the next song on my playlist was funnnnnky… a convoy of cars were my pulse until the next fuel stop!
Then I managed to meet up with Triumph and Nikin GT - they were enjoying some dinner!
We briefly rode together then split up again as one of them needed to take a call.
I managed to fill up with fuel at my second last stop. To my delight (and relief) a chariot appeared with Bipyjamas safe and sound.
Nikin GT and Triumph shortly appeared too (we’re all safe- yes!). And off I went solo again…
Here comes the decent. The sweeping finagling bend into the green light of a finish line.
Done.
And, guess who was there?
My LDR mentor; Cjmckay was waiting for me at the finish line - I’m absolutely grateful that he was proud!
I can’t remember exactly how long- maybe 15-20mins after I acquired my finishing DBR for mints from a disinterested teller, Bipyjamas (inside 4 wheels), Triumph and Nikin GT then appeared.
We all congratulated one another and were congratulated by other group members and shortly after, I gave my steed a pat, rode home and that was that…
Then the heat pad worked its warm magic.
Attachments
Last edited:
