Miss Ally's first grand moto tour

Sir Francis

Displaced person
Our first holiday together....

Miss Ally's first multi day motorcycle tour....

The first time we had spent more than two consecutive days together....

2,500km in 9 days up and down and across the Snowy Mountains....

Our ride: Chester the Stubborn. An untested 20 year old cheapy cheap tourer bought for shits n giggles a week or so before departure. A purchase price of $2,500 meant there was more than a little of a Top Gear challenge feel to it....

I mean really, what could possible go wrong.......?


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Sir Francis

Displaced person
The adventure began for me when I got to meet Miss Ally's parents, sisters, brother, in-laws, nieces, nephews and extended family for the first time on Christmas day over Christmas lunch....

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I should not make fun. I was welcomed into the clan, lunch was great and I won the Dr Evil version of Kris Kringle that followed.....although I may have gone backwards a little with Miss Ally's mum when I plotted to steal her favoured Kris Kringle present....:whistle:

Miss Ally and I exchanged our presents back at Bayswater and then packed Chester the Stubborn over a little too much Christmas spirit....:chug:
 

Sir Francis

Displaced person
Day 1: Bayswater - Orbost.


We were woken by the sound of heavy rain at 5.30am.

A check of the rain radar showed the rain heading in the same direction we were. At 9.30am we gave up waiting for it to stop.

You sure, you're going to make me ride in this all day....? :sick:

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It's OK honey, trust me.....I'm a professional.... :doh:

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True to my (cough) prediction, the rain stopped as we left my driveway.

We braved a plague of caravans on the highway run to Traralgon.

Ally was treated to her first driver reviver station visit...

It's great honey, they have free coffee, biscuits, somewhere to park...

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And the staff have great fashion sense....:bs

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As the first moto visitors of the day, we were showered with gifts from the RoadSafe representatives....touring maps, visor cleaning cloths, stubby holders, bubble blowers, stickers with the dob in a hoon number....

We took to the back roads soon after.


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Cowwar. Heyfield. Briagolong. That lovely roller coaster ride through the pine plantation and caught up with the rain at Bairnsdale.
 
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Sir Francis

Displaced person
We stopped for lunch at Nicholson.

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And shared the shelter with a gypsy family in SUV convoy.

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A quick stroll after lunch.


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We abandoned the initial plan of a visit to the Bullant Brewery and continued along the highway in the pouring rain.

Hey look, I can see stuff down there...


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Hey yeah, you're right...

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No you fool, to the left...

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It was rather embarrassing heading into Nowra Nowra. I had just completed a most heroic overtaking of a dawdling SUV and then had to pull off the side of the road as the bike spluttered out of fuel....:wot:

Well, OK....there was still ample fuel left in the tank....it was more a case of me not knowing where the fuel reserve tap was....:killingme

In motion again, we made for Orbost where fate decided to smile upon us. When I booked the accommodation in late November, my preference was for the motel with a swimming pool as naturally it was going to be unbearably hot on our ride down from Melbourne. I was little disappointed, when I had to make do with a spa suite at the motel across the road as it was the last room in town.

Within 5 minutes of check in, Chester the Stubborn was unloaded, our suite looked like an explosion in a Chinese laundry and we were neck deep in bubbles broiling in the spa...:thumbs:
 

John_Johnny

Long Timer
Well, OK....there was still ample fuel left in the tank....it was more a case of me not knowing where the fuel reserve tap was....

Wish I had one of those. Seems like a terribly inconvenient design flaw unless there is some technical reason that I can't think of???
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Wish I had one of those. Seems like a terribly inconvenient design flaw unless there is some technical reason that I can't think of???

I'm not a mechanic or a bike designer, but I can think of a couple of reasons why modern bikes probably don't have fuel taps.

1. They have a fuel gauge, a fuel warning light or some other visual feature to advise the rider that they are low on fuel. This performs the same or superior function to the old style fuel tap with a reserve. Something starts flashing, you look for a petrol station.

2. Having a fuel system which causes the bike to splutter to a stop without warning while there is still fuel in the tank is creating a potentially dangerous situation where that situation need not exist.

3. EFI systems required a pressurised fuel system. I suspect that most manual fuel taps would cause leak points or weak points in the system.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Oh man...THIS one has got the feel of a ripsnorter of a yarn!! :slobb :clap:


Now, that's the way to start a ride-report, yee-bloody-haa!!! :glu:glu

Setting some tough standards for 2016 there, mate :wot:
 
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