SS1600K Summer Solstice

Foxton1

Premier Member
#1
It’s not every day I welcome a strong coffee at 130am. It sharpens my thoughts as I realise the time has come to challenge myself again. I hit the engine start button after rolling down the street - bringing the Beemer to life where I wake someone else's neighbours. 224am starts the clock with first fuel at a trusty 7-Eleven. Asking for a receipt, checking its key elements (address, date, time) and getting it in-focus next to the odometer photo: these all come more naturally than my first SS1600k in September. The roadworks crew pay me no mind as I head to the M7.

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I’m looking forward to visiting Eden again. It is one of my favourite towns in NSW, and have not returned since 2016. The bike feels and sounds good as I set the cruise control exactly on the speed limit. Being so close to the police holiday blitz, I have no intention of pushing any km/h boundaries, and chose this route specifically to maximise the daylight hours on this date. Settle-in, relax and enjoy… it’s going to be a massive day.

Riding at night makes my Canberra arrival seem quicker than usual. I refuel at Hume as dawn breaks, and recall “Red sky dawn, sailor be warned” but need not worry. Before I know it, I’m in Eden looking for my wharf photo spot. Ahh, the sleepy relaxing town I remember brings a smile to my face.

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A quick chat is had as I refuel. It’s a common chat where someone says they intend to get their motorcycle license one day, but are a little anxious about their safety. I never reply with a lengthy ‘preachy’ response. Instead, my default is to encourage them with a big grin “You should! I’m having a blast today”.

I start the Eden to Albury section I have not travelled before. Some things I anticipated correctly: logging forests, warning signs for logging trucks and side tracks, and the odd light rain shower / drizzle dampening the road.

The pleasant surprises include recognising a repeat photo spot at Jincumbilly. The first time I stopped for a photo was in 2015 on my Aprilia. Credit to the road crews currently fixing the potholes on that road. It’s such a nice area to ride. The other welcome surprises include a small amount of snow on the mountain tops at Thredbo, and how clean & fresh the air is.

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I was not expecting the road from Thredbo to be as technical as it is through the mountains. The road continued to command focus & respect along Murray River Road between Towong & Lake Hume Village. I am starting to feel my pace is slower than it should be - so no stopping for more photos for now.

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The Thredbo to Albury section was giving me flashbacks to the Mae Hong Son loop I rode in Thailand... 1860 corners over 418km. I highly recommend riding that loop if you get the chance. Riding in Bangkok... not so much - avoid that if you can.

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The showers cleared at Albury, where the bike & I needed some fuel and a quick rest at 413pm. A time check had me think I am about 45 mins behind schedule - nothing too concerning. It is noticeably warmer than the previous stop at Thredbo too. Off with the heated under-jacket, then open all vents of my waterproof jacket. This allowed for a perfect body temperature as I rode to Wagga Wagga, where I filled-up 1 of 2 empty Rotopax jerry cans in my top box. 312km until Goulburn is the longest leg today, as I do not wish to stop at Temora. Throughout the day I have been averaging a safe 350km per tank, but I don't wish to risk fuel anxiety if I take a wrong turn.

All the way into Temora I dodge potholes - there are some big ones alright. Blue skies and the afternoon sun must have been a contrast to the heavy rain which passed through only hours earlier. I realise how lucky I got with the weather, as I could still smell the rain in the air. Golden beams of light shone through the trees beside the road, illuminating the best lines to ride as I continue to dodge potholes with the settling sun to my back. It’s a nice time of day when you see the shadow of yourself riding on a country road. At this particular moment, I have the old favourite song of Gang Gajang’s Sounds of Then (This is Australia) in my head.

With 60km to Yass, I consider stopping for a pit stop, but with fading daylight, spotting for 'roos, and greater-than-usual need for pothole vigilance - I push on. I am still enjoying the ride and less sore than I thought I would be at this point. This may be due to the lowered foot pegs I installed since last ride report, with no soreness in my right knee on this occasion.

I am soon on the M31 Hume Highway with good flowing traffic, then at Goulburn for that overdue pit-stop and fuel. Time check: 942pm. An initial calculation gives me comfort no planned time had been lost since Albury. I then remember I started the day about 25 mins behind my planned 2am start - so I'm only about 20 mins behind in reality. The feeling is odd - no sense of anxiety as I head for my final fuel stop close to home. Nice!

I pull into the BP close to home and realise it does not have 95. I go for the 98 then hear an indecipherable voice over the loudspeaker from the service station attendant. No idea what he's trying to say - it's like he's under water. Strangely, I'm not the only one who's just tried to start filling their vehicle. The lady on the other side of my pump can't understand what is being said either. No fuel is coming through any nozzle, so I hang up my nozzle and walk inside to find out what the drama is. Was this BP out of fuel and hadn't put a notice on the pump? Did I need to pay in advance at this hour?

It turns out I arrived dead on midnight, and the attendant was asking everyone to wait 5 minutes whilst he did his end-of-day till balancing. Yeah nah. I'm not waiting for that - the clock is ticking and this servo ain't the only pony-show in town! I headed straight for my regular 7-Eleven across the road. Between servos, I did think that if this is the only drama of the day - I am a lucky man. In hindsight I could have used the BP's ATM to withdraw $20, or just wait 5 mins - but at this time, my mind is already set on getting to the pump across the road, and also thinking of where the next closest fuel would be if that 7-Eleven didn't work out.

But as the final photo conveys, at 1209am the Beemer's odometer shows 1653km had been eaten-up. As I pull into my driveway, I recollect how enjoyable this ride has been - today was a great day. Now to get some sleep, and prepare for some Christmas festivities.

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Foxton1

Premier Member
#6
Thanks Martin, Tiger & Ron

Some small tweaks to the bike for this ride worked well. In addition to the pegs, swapping to the Outback Trekker top box I had from my Vstrom, allowed more space for jerry cans - where I can easily fill them up mid-journey before critical route legs.

Good question Ron 2023 will be a Piston Diversity challenge year for me. Next week, I’ll be starting off with a 1-cylinder attempt to pop-in on a mate near Surfers Paradise. I’ve hired a Royal Enfield Scram 411. As I’ll be getting to know the bike for the first time, it will just be a fairly boring highway run.

In May I’ll have my next hardest ride: an in-state Nevada USA SS1000 attempt Likely to hire a K1600GTL so I get a 6-cylinder Piston Diversity completion with it. I’m Goldwing-curious, but they aren’t as easy to hire with unlimited mileage when starting from Las Vegas. Cheers, Sam.
 

Tele

Premier Member
#9
Late to read this one Sam. Excellent effort and another top report. Love the "joy of riding" that is conveyed through your reports. There is a saying that "work isn't really work" if you enjoy what you do. LDR is in the same vein. If you can get into the groove, then it is a wonderful way to fill a day!