27 October - Ulysses Club Ride & RIP to a fellow blogger

It was that time of the month again - the monthly ride of the Central Gippsland branch of the Ulysses Club. The weather looked a bit iffy but that's no real deterrent so by 9:45 I pulled up on the Honda at the Green Olive, our regular rendez-vous for Ulysses rides. We had a large turn out today - a dozen or so bikes in some cases with pillions. Our destination today was the Red Parrot Cafe in Noojee but first we stopped for a coffee in Willow Grove.

I've been visiting the Red Parrot at various times and have always enjoyed the coffee and the food. Over the past few years it seems to have become very popular with motorcycle clubs, and gets great reviews from the MC community. Well deserved too - everyone enjoyed today's meals. By noon the weather had warmed appreciably to make for a very pleasant ride home via Neerim South.

Total Distance 190 km

Read some very sad news today. Many of us who chronicle their motorcycle adventures on blogs have formed an informal network of like minded individuals who, while coming from different parts of the world and with different backgrounds, shared one common interest in motorcycles and motorcycling. We often comment on each other's blogs and while we will probably never meet in person, it feels like a circle of friends. One of those bloggers I enjoyed following and whose occasional comments I always enjoyed was Bob Leong using the blogger ID BobSkoot. Bob was based in Vancouver, Canada and he was a prolific blogger not only about motorcycling but about his enjoyment of life in general. He was particularly famous for his footwear - pink Crocs!

I learned today that in the past few months, Bob passed away suddenly and while I have never met Bob, I was saddened to read the news and I will miss the long distance friendship. My blog is featured on Bob's and similarly I provided a link to his on mine. It seems that a number of guest bloggers are contributing to keeping the blog going and so I'll leave the link in place.

Bob's blog is called Riding the Wet Coast and the link is here.

RIP BobSkoot

18 - 19 October - Anglers Rest - Overnight Camping

Received a call Friday afternoon from my friend Marcus, inviting me to a ride and overnight camp at Anglers Rest, about 30 km past Omeo. Marcus' friend Greg was making up a three man team.
Spent the rest of Friday checking all my camping gear and working out how to fit it on the bike. It turns out that everything - tent, downmat, sleeping bag and Helinox camping chair all fitted exactly in my Viking Bag which I reviewed some time ago here (click here) . Of course there was lots of room left for other bits and pieces as well.

On Saturday Greg and Marcus arrived at 12:15 and without much further ado we were heading east on the Princes Highway on a beautiful warm afternoon. First stop was Bruthen for fuel before swinging on to the Great Alpine Road for the 100km hop to Omeo. Anglers Rest is located a further 30km on the road between Omeo and Falls Creek and this final stretch is spectacular and the road is very winding. Our destination was a camping ground on the banks of the Cobungra River just across the road from the Blue Duck Inn (http://www.blueduckinn.com.au). We arrived about 4:30 to join a number of other groups already set up and enjoying this wonderful spot. The first priority was to set up camp followed shortly by a short walk to the pub for a few drinks and cigars while lounging on the banks of the crystal clear stream - a perfect finish to a great afternoon. At 6:30 we had dinner at the Blue Duck which surprisingly was quite crowded, in a dining room featuring two open fires. Then it was time to get back to our little camp site and light a fire before finally turning in at around 10pm.
A clear sky bursting with stars promised a chilly evening and it was nice to snuggle into the sleeping bag. Woke this morning at about 7:30 to a very quiet campsite.

By 8:30 we had packed up all the gear and were on our way to Omeo for breakfast and fuel. After one more stop in Bruthen it was time for everyone to head home after a short but magnificent motorcycle excursion.

While on the subject of motorcycle luggage, Viking Bags have recently released information to assist with the selection of the correct bag for a range of motorcycles. Check it out here.


Total Distance 660 km

12 October - Mt Donna Buang, Yarra Ranges

The weather bureau promised 28ºC today and it had been some time since the Beemer had a good run. The day started off cool but it was very pleasant riding through Shady Creek, Neerim Junction, Powelltown and Yarra Junction. The Warburton Bakery beckoned for an early lunch and then it was up Mt Donna Buang. The road to the summit (1250m above sea level) is sealed but quite winding.

The summit is covered in trees which restricts the views completely which means you have to climb the lookout tower to get a panoramic perspective. Unfortunately it was quite hazy and not really worthwhile taking a photo of the scenery.

The return trip was via Warburton once more and then home via Powelltown, Noojee, Willow Grove etc. By the afternoon it had become quite warm. The Beemer performed flawlessly.

Total Distance 350km

10 October - Good to be back home!

We arrived home yesterday on a flight from Rome via Dubai and Sydney. Tried starting both bikes as soon as I got home. The BMW was raring to go, but the VT750 needed to spend the evening with the battery charger before it too roared into life. Got 12 hours straight sleep and this morning after taking care of the absolute necessities took the Honda out for a little ride and learned a couple of facts about the bike I didn't know. The first thing I learned is that a partly depleted battery (it wasn't totally flat) resets both Trip meters. I use Trip Meter 2 to monitor refuelling (the Honda doesn't have a gauge). After I took off, I checked it and as it was reading very low km's I assumed that I must have refuelled the bike after I used it last time. After riding for about 45 minutes, and some 40km from home, I learned that the low Trip reading was due to low battery voltage and not full fuel tank - the bike unceremoniously stopped, no splutter, no time to think about the problem and no time to change to 'reserve'. Eventually, sitting at the side of the road my jet lagged brain finally worked out the problem and the engine roared back into life on 'reserve'. Never having been in this situation I had little idea what range I should expect from 'reserve'. The second thing I learned today was that it is at least 40km because I reached the BP service station in Traralgon.
Only a short ride today, but it was very satisfying to be back on a bike after an eight week absence.

1 October - San Gimignano, Italy

Those of you who visit my blog regularly will have noticed my extensive lack of blogging and riding. One or two folks have emailed to check that I'm OK. Let me reassure everyone that I'm fine but I've not had the opportunity to ride for a while because I am currently on an eight week holiday in Europe. Right now I'm staying at a very nice farmhouse apartment in Tuscany. This is the view from my window.

I have a little over a week to go before it's time to board our plane in Rome and head back to Australia. A bike ride is very high on the priority list of things to do. Today we visited Siena one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and recently we also spent a few days in Venice.

So watch this space for a ride report soon. Hope the bike starts...