I had just completed a demo ride of the BMW R1200R. Not overly inspiring, but smooth as silk at high speed in a high gear.  The BMW Summerfest 2011 ran in conjunction with the Canadian Superbike Double-Header weekend of racing. Saturday had great race with Brent McCormick and Jordan Szoke running neck and neck for the entire race, and McCormick pulling ahead on the last turn.  A good win for the BMW rider

There were a number of demo rides being offered and I was able to test the: BMW R1200R and K1600GT, and the Honda VFR1200 and Shadow. An interesting range of bikes to review.  The K1600GT was the most impressive with massive smooth power. This bike would be a treat to take out on a long ride across the country.  I had a 97 VFR for 10 years and had high expectations for the new 1200.  The red Honda was strong and well engineered, but seemed edgy and wanted to let loose.  The speed on the demo ride, while including some high speed highway riding, was limited, and never felt like I  pushed the VFR hard enough.

Outside of the demo rides, the BMW Summerfest event had a showroom, a tent selling bmw clothing, safety training, a beer tent, a dinner (much meat) and live music in the evening. Overall a well run event, and chatted with many fellow riders.  There appeared to be many that would do this event each year. Will look forward to the next event.

 

 

 

 

Blue Mountains – Return to Sydney from Bathurst

Cloud cover in the morning, but now around 9:30 and the sun is breaking through.

My first jaunt is back to Mount Panorama to ride the race circuit now in daylight. I turn onto the start line surrounded by the grandstands and accelerate into the first turn. A race track compels you to ride fast, and I ascend the mountain carving the corners.

There’s a dramatic view at the top, and then a steep corkscrew descent wrapping tight turns until it opens to the final straightaway.

Enough racing for the day I ride through the center of Bathurst and veer north to Sofala. For the first time this weekend I start to see several packs of motorcycles on this road. I’m passed by a lone biker and decide to keep pace which pushes my speed. The road is comprised of many sweeping turns that are challenging enough to bring focus, but accommodate high speeds, and relaxed cornering.

I reach Sofala and slowly ride through the little town that has retained may of the old buildings from the gold rush era. They’ve been allowed to become decrepit which gives them a hint of their original character, and a sense of the town in the 1850s.

I continue on to Ilford now running low on gas, I reduce the aggressive driving for gas preservation. Once I reach Ilford, I turn south towards Capertee focused mostly on sighting a gas station. The Castlereagh highway has more traffic and leads into the Blue Mountain region. I reach Lithgow and then ride east on the Bell Line Road. The canyons reappear and incredible vistas surround me.

I’ve left plenty of time to explore the region before I return to Sydney, and I find a small road to Mount Wilson. The first couple kilometers are dense bush, and I start to question the potential of this route. Then all of a sudden I’m in the hamlet of Mount Wilson and I’m surrounded by managed and matured gardens, brilliant sunshine, and patches of deciduous trees just losing their leaves as Australia enters the fall.

Mount Wilson has a heritage Turkish bath of all things. The road continues on for another 20 kilometers and then ends, or at least the mapped road. I decide t return to Bell Line Road and continue south.

This road is full of bikers and I practice my head nod which is used since the “wave” is impractical when you’re riding on the left side of the road. Many many shops and roadside outlets selling pies and jam. I find one also with coffee and sandwiches and I break for while in the warming sun. The road continues weaving, ascending and descending through the Blue Mountains Park. I’m motivated to say this was a great motorcycle road, but I’m discovering that there are many great rides in this country.

I continue on Hwy 40 south and take in the sights. As you approach the edge of the park, there are signs of more commercial activity, but not near the extent of a similar type landscape in New Hampshire or Vermont.
I turn south at Richmond and head towards Penrith. I’ve been advised that a direct route into the city from Richmond would be very slow and uneventful. Once I reach Penrith, I hop on the M4 and travel back into the city’

Blue Mountains – Sydney to Bathurst Weekend Jaunt

This was my day to recover from the week so what am I doing up at 4 am in the morning. A fog was flowing through my head on stage 2 of your general everyday cold. I started to plan and synchronize my work based on the anticipated schedule of this cold. How efficient I have become.

Off to bikescape to pickup a bike for hire. Again the FJR 1200. A spectacular day was breaking out with perfect sunshine. Selena at bikescape helped me get setup on the bike, and coordinate travel plans and accommodation in Bathurst.

On the road again, the ride out of Sydney takes about 20 minutes of stoplight traffic during a busy morning period. Once on the M4, I can crank up the FJR and feel that smooth push of shaft driven horsepower. This Yamaha truly is a grand sport touring motorcycle and a pleasure to ride.

A quick fumble at the toll booth and I continue on the M4 into the Blue Mountains. The roads sweep up and down the small mountains through a good amount of population hugging the road in suburban and country homes. Sun is bright, trees are large, homes are cottagy and rustic, and I carry on with the cavalcade of tourists and weekend travelers.

Near Katoomba, I veer off on Hwy 5 to travel through Leura and a scenic ride along the edge of a canyon. I start with lunch in Leura at a café that promotes its “organic specialties”. There is the tourist directed quaintness in this town with tree lined shops of knick knacks, a Christmas shop and your standard candles store. I enjoy the good coffee shops.

More spectacular vistas for what I’m told is the second biggest canyon in the world just behind the Grand Canyon. Many bus tours, asian tourists, and a sprinkling of families dot the road climbing and dropping along the canyon edge.

A strong sun but a stronger wind on this Saturday hampers the riding by introducing a distinct extra addition of effort. The FJR is a heavy bike and is not easily moved by gusts and windy conditions, but this requires constant vigilance in ensuring solid control of the motorcycle.

Through the Blue Mountains and after Lithgow, the landscape breaks open and more rolling hills and sweeping plains. There is a lack of density here and I continue to be amazed by the lack of commercialization of the roadways. There is a distinct lack of billboards and signage compared to your typical North America city. It exists, but does not seem to be as pervasive or as objectionable as the road landscape in America. Maybe its simply the warm weather thats put me in a good mood.

I arrive in Bathurst around 3 pm and have time to settle in and walk into town. Its colder than I had planned and I search out and find some warmer clothing. Although this takes some time. Many stores close at 1 pm on Saturday. Good for them. I eat at the Acropolis downtown. Nice meal, then too lazy to walk I take a taxi home.

Into the cab and start chatting with the cabby. Not sure the term in Australia, but in the US, it would be called a deep southern drawl, while my experience here is listening to a rich Australian accent. At times incomprehensible to me, but I did get the part where he offered to turn the meter off and show me the sights of the town. Its Saturday early evening prior to the bar crowd even going to the bar, so he has some time. Our first stop is up Mount Panorama to travel around the race circuit. This is crazy. They have a full race course for what I understand would be close to “stock cars” in the US, but the course track is a public road with homes and businesses lined up along the edge during the non-race periods which is about 51 weeks of the year.

The track climbs steeping up the mountain, and then falls just as abruptly, maybe more, as the ascent. My cab driver is very enthused about this as we race through the track, and I detect a strong motivation on his part to play the role of car racer. We complete a lap and then travel around town to view the colleges and schools, and the jail which has a very interesting main building from an historical perspective.

After “doing the town”, I’m back at the Country Comfort hotel for a relaxing evening on the computer catching up on the motogp events in Lemans. My broadband access that I purchased expires. Night is over.

The Great Alpine Road – Omeo to Wangaratta to Sydney

I stayed at the Snug as a Bug hotel which is in the center of the picture below. Great accomodation at a reasonable price. Around the corner I had an excellent full breakfast at the Bakery which appears to be the starting point for the road crews. This shot, taken after a light rain in the morning, is an example of the morning rush hour in Omeo.

The threat of rain and the breakthrough of brilliant morning sun provided stunning sights. I continued on towards Hotham rising in elevation to the highest point in this area. Hotham is a ski resort and experiences extreme winter conditions (in July). This road is occassionally impassable, and there are many warnings about severe driving hazard due to snow and frost. Not something I expected for Australia.

Hotham was immersed in a dense fog with a sliver of sunny skies occassionaly exposed. The road runs along the top of the ski hills, which look very steep and intense. The tight corners along a mountain ridge that drops hundreds of meters on either side, and the fog, caused me to slow my speed to a crawl. As I dropped in elevation towards Harrietville the road became a sequence of tight corners that went on and on until reaching the town at the base.

The visitor park area in Harrietville includes exhibits and buildings representative of the rich history. The trees on each side of the main road cover the road completely with a ceiling of foliage, which I suspect is important during the hot summer days. This type of tree planting and growth is typical of small towns in this area including Bright, Myrtleford, and Tangambalanga.

Once I reached Albury, it was time to venture onto the Hume highway for a long fast ride back to Sydney. After being warned about how dull the Hume highway is, I was surprised to find the route comprised of rolling hills and open plains. Not a tight pack of twisties, but an enjoyable ride and well suited to a solid sport tourer such as the FJR.

Back in Sydney, I returned the bike to bikescape and chatted about the trip. Talking about the routes I had taken, and planning the great routes for the next trip.

The Great Alpine Road – Melbourne to Bairnsdale to Omeo

On the first leg of this trip from Sydney to Melbourne I had lunch in Bairnsdale at a restaurant beside the tourist bureau. Just browsing, I came across info on the Great Alpine Road, which runs from Bairnsdale to Wangaratta, and thought it might be a great route on my return trip to Sydney. What good fortune.

The ride from Melbourne to Bairnsdale is uneventful and generally flat, but the change is dramatic once you turn north. The Great Dividing Range is a mountain range running along the east side of Australia west of Sydney and other cities by the ocean. I was to discover later that this range hosts many of the best motorcycle rides in Australia.

The area around the Great Alpine Road was originally settled in the 1830s and included frontier towns involved in timber, mining and cattle herding. The road unveils one spectacular vista after another, and even though it was late in the day I was compelled to stop for pictures on a frequent basis.

The tiny specs are cattle in the distance and provide a sense of the vastness of this region. Add to this enough curves to make any motorcyclist happy, and you have a truly great ride.

One thing I found striking about this region and for the entire ride was the natural quality to the landscape, and the sense of unspoiled beauty. Billboards and any sense of commericalism are lacking, and the built up areas have a real sense of place. It is a character that I started to really enjoy.

With only the occasional car passing by, riding, stopping and casually viewing the sites is experienced as if the road were there simply for your own personal pleasure. I completed this day by stopping in Omeo, a former goldrush town, which on a Wednesday in the fall, was as quiet as a town of 300 could be.

The Great Ocean Road – Melbourne to Lorne to Melbourne

I was off early in the morning to see this great road. And it was a fine ride by the ocean. As I entered the “road” I saw a flashing of lights to the side which turned out to be the only speeding ticket for this trip.

The surfers, the walkers, that lack of any crowds all show up in a leisurely pace matching the rolling of the waves. Another warm and sunny day.

With a plan to return to Sydney by Thursday night, my trip to the ocean road was brief. I was able to see a few towns, stop by the seashore, and then head inland. I enjoyed this ride and getting close to the sea. Heading north from Lorne, I rose into the “bush” as it was explained to me. Dense forest and curvy roads with sight of maybe one or two cars during a half hour of riding. The big FJR is smooth and powerful, but shows its weight once you hit the tighter corners.

Melbourne

Another day, another long black, or was that a short double black. Either way, the coffee in Melbourne is outstanding, and along with the domestic chain coffee shops, there are many independent cafes serving up a fine cup of java. The Italian cafes were already prominent in the city prior to the invasion by Starbuckistan and others, and there is a great coffee culture. Another notable is the pastry and cake shops, specifically on Lygon street. Here you can find a wide array of interesting desserts.

One of our meetings today was in a cafe, and somehow we found ourselves about three feet from an expresso machine. We had awkwardly opened a laptop for a presentation, which was interspersed with the grinding of expresso beans. It was comical and fun, and not sure if it had any impact on the pitch one way or the other.

This picture shows the docklands project rising out the former industrial waterfront to the west of the city core. I think the new buildings and the project have progressive and innovative designs that reflect the current vitality and state of the city. Smart design does make a difference.

Weather for tomorrow is looking like mid 20s and sunny. A fine day for riding.

Melbourne

Back to business in Melbourne for a couple days, but a chance to take in the sights. Its nice to see that motorcycles can be parked on the sidewalk anywhere in the city. I even found my hotel accomodating in not having to park in a garage, but allowed to park right in front of the entrance where bellman are always present.

The city is clean and compact with a downtown mix of old and new buildings.

The Southbank area includes a set of new towers and well travelled people places. Further west the docklands are rising up as a reclaimed area influenced by the Canary Wharf development in London.

Merimbula to Melbourne

Merimbula was close to half-way between Sydney and Melbourne and is a tourist oriented town which means a range of good restaurants and many real estate offices. An evening out comprises of actually eating, and then browsing the photos and listing for cottages, and homes.

The second day, and i’m refreshed and more comfortable back on a motorcycle after having not ridden for a couple months. Forecast is for rain and the sky is slightly grey.

I’ve been advised not to travel at night in Australia as there is a good threat of coming across wildlife on the highway. Have not seen any wildlife yet, but shall continue to look during the day.

Hey look, its the Tasman sea.

A range of coastal environs from the rocks to the beaches in the distance.

Sydney to Merimbula

After a few days of business in Sydney it was time to retrieve the motorcycle and direct myself southward. Even though its the beginning of fall in Australia, the weather has been sweltering. I considered a ride through the inland highway to make some time to Melbourne, where I need to be in a couple days, but the forecast of highs to 40c concerned me. Riding through Sydney at a low speed in low 30 degree temperature was enough sauna treatment for my first day.

Highway 1 south to Wollongong, the first major destination south of Sydney, involves a long ride through areas of shopping malls, retail strips, some parks and offices, and various types of auto-repair shops. The urban influence thins and the road opens to smooth roads and light traffic.

A couple hours of riding behind me, I’m starting to get a feel for the Yamaha FJR that I’ve rented. The FJR is a powerful 1300cc bike, shaft driven, with a an electrically adjustable windscreen. It pulls with ease, and constantly wants to jump from the posted speed limit of 100km/h to 150. Hard acceleration from a dead stop is very similar in sensation and strangly sound to a jet taking off. I have to test this a few times to be certain that this is correct.

The road is well suited to the big FJR. Long sweeping turns, a few tighter corners with posted 55 km/h advisory, and long straight stretches of road are almost non-existent. I easily settle into a rhythm and enjoy the landscape. Its very green and lush, which surprises me with water controls and drought conditions noted in Melbourne and in Sydney. Certain areas of the country have had recent rains, and this part of Australia has received it well.