seems our "big wet" has headed south at last .....

to all you southerners ....i hope that you have faired well durring those amazing rainfall events .....

for us up here ....things are looking fantastic for a ride in the sun ....at last !!!

my poor old wing is still suffereing ...but would love to be out there enjoying the breeze in my face ..

im sure many of you are feeling the same ...

enjoy guys ....!!!!!

better post up some pics of your rides ...so this "little black duck" can get the envy ...up and running for next weekend

it doesent matter if its down to the corner store ....or farther down the road ....give us a glimps of what your upto this weekend huh ?!!!

Thanks for the rain Charlie, you can stop now. The sun is out today on the east coast finally.
I'm still waiting for new swing arm bearings, then to figure out how to remove the old ones.
The road conditions must be horrendous so take it easy everyone.
RT

To remove the old ones you run a bead of weld around at least half of the bearing cup and it will fall out as it cools. The inner comes out if you put a big screw driver in the hole and give it a good heave and rollers etc pop out all over the floor to be stood on for years to come as they roll out from under ths bench one by one.

heading south ....well just over the border on sunday ...

my brother and his group are doing another bush bash in the hills west of kyogle (bit of dirt road on the way there maybe 10 ks )

the place is toonumber dam and some nice twistys on the way in ...just 35 k out of kyogle

thinking to make it a worthwile ride and am planning going to the border via beudesert then woodenbong ...down the windy road to grevillea then kyogle ...just for a change ...

the boys take off at around 9.00am on their ktm and husabergs ....so hoping to get there before hand ...pending on the loop and the plans they have could end up staying for a couple of hours ...then to lismore .....

havent planned the return trip ...but i definatly dont want to go anywhere near the gold coast during easter

(remember getting stuck in mad traffic and holdups everytime i tried to go through there at this time of year as this weekend is ussually the last recognised beach weather weekend before the winter starts )

leave time from brissy about 5 - 5.30am

home time about 3- 3.30 all going well

anyone up for an early morning cruise ?

It is indeed one of those beaut Autumn weekend days in SE Queensland where the sun is bright, a few fluffy, white clouds drift pass, and the air is clear and clean and warm, about mid to high 20s. It's so nice, perfect for tossing some flesh on the barbie, sucking on a coldie or two, walking barefoot on the beach, having a swim, or taking a burble through the back roads on your favourite motorbike.

Too bad I'm stuck indoors staring at it through the glass walls of the building where I work.....

if ya need a hand on monday morning gith ....give me a bell ...i can hold things whilst reassembly takes place

dont go busting a gut to get it all done in a big hurry





and a coldie afterwards



cheers !!!!

No joy for us today!
We knew that the 'good' weather would not last.
It maybe a good time to work on the K75.

sad i cant bottle up a weeks worth of sun and send it to you bert ......your time will be along soon ....we all have to make do with our enviroment i guess .

for us, autumn - winter is a dry spell that seems never ending ...with lower humidity and crisp nights to be relished .

ill take extra pics on tommorrows journey for you ...

charlie99 wrote:Don't go busting a gut to get it all done in a big hurry...

I have all day Sunday and Monday as well, except for time well-spent in front of the box watching the opening MotoGP from under the lights in Qatar. The tools are laid out (it's Saturday night) in the garage like an operating table prepared for the surgery. But unlike a surgeon I shall wash my hands before I use the loo and not after...

There's still brilliant Aussie Autumn sunshine coming through! What a glorious weekend. I hope the Aussie contingent are able to get out for a ride.

just after 5.30 am on the way south .....fog surrounds the valley around the small town of rathdownie ...leading to the border ranges and my destination further south, the hills in the distance are hidden till you get much closer



on arrival aat the destination ....a remote dam site picnic area ....frost ? na!!! can't be ....dew ...something we havent seen for nigh on 9 months



later on in the day ...whilst waiting for those trail rider folks to hit their mark .....i had time to contemplate the wonderfull day at hand



on the way home ...the amazing vista of mount lindsay ....now half in shadow .....it has been a good day ...and less than 200 kilometers to get home

Nice descriptions of a beaut place. I rode home the back way from Tenterfield to Tabulam, Bonalbo, Woodenbong, Rathdowney, Beaudesert highway last weekend on my way back from Victoria. It's faster than going via Stanthorpe if you don't mind forty kms of gravel and bumps. That road back out the other end in the boonies is as rough as guts and I wore the tyres right to the edge anyway - no chicken strips at all - thanks to the long-travel suspension and the wide 'bars of the F800GS. Beaut photos!

just outside of brissy the eye line was mostly less than 80meters in front ....for most of the journey, cause of the fog ....kinda like riding at night with a dark visor ....several times ( wobblies .furry grasshopers ...rats with pouches ...call them what you will )...surprised this old fart ...racing round corners and two eyes glaring back and ...going nowhere .. yes its not a deer ...but certainly can "ruin a friendship "

Nice one guys makes me jealous
good piccies Charlie. makes me think that sometimes we are in such a hurry to get somewhere that it seems too hard stop and take the time to photograph, but the rest of us love to see what you see.
|Thanks RT

As I said early, a snow storm hit us and in stead of riding (like you did in what seems to be a beautiful area), I spent time trapping the Easter bunny. He was smart, but I got it

Beautiful pics Charlie, especially the early morning mist one. Thanks for posting.
88

monday morning and gith needs some parts to repair the oil leak and clutch

so a little dash out to aratula to meet rick, gith, liz and her son .....at the cafe on the main drag

on the way out i stoped at willobank looking south to the meeting place just this side of the big hills in the back ground ....and just to the right of the nearer mound in the centre of the picure some 45 ks off still



after the meet ...heading back towards boonah ...on a small hill over looking the "scenic rim" of the "great dividing range "...(this is just behind that small lump in the other shot ... looking south towards "the head " gateway to the highlands "queen mary falls" and other awesome tours ) back towards brisbane ...but heading east towards beaudesert



for me a round trip of 160 -180 killometers around about ...but with views like that ...who wouldnt

Nice one Charlie . Didn't want to post yesterday 'cos that weather you sent finally made it here , just as well or we'd be on drought relief ! Awesome summer for us , bike wise and today was mate Louis' plan . A lazy 400kms in the company of R1150GS , R65, Tri Tiger 1150 and me on the baby brick. Last day of the Easter break and we chose the right direction to travel , caravans (wombats ) and boats ( whales ) being towed home with +10 cars behind snailing their way home but as i mentioned going the other way ... would have been a real pain and dangerous ' cos we would have been endlessly trying to pass them .
The route then was (me) to Launceston to meet the guys ,then south to Campbelltown on our version of the Doom Highway , east on the Lake Leake road ( twisty climb then fast sweepers , my son says 170kph , me.. 140 ish is good ) then north "up" the coast a combination of tight and open road sections with views of the ocean to distract.
St Helens to Branxholm is my "home " stretch , done it so many times , up the Weldborough Pass and shortly after the Weld Hill . Not the Alps but sweet riding and plenty challenging .
Latte at 11, fish n chips at 1 , amber fluid at my local 4o'clock , aaaahhhhh good day , great riding , top mates , only one thing better than that !

cheers ghost (oops) ...still looking for one of those awesome winding trails along the sea ...."tassi" sounds brilliant (well all depends on the friend base after all eh ? ...who your meeting and when )

kinda reminds me of "club c" s visit and our little bit of the world.. and the members contribution to a tour for a visitor that was acheivable in an afternoon ...

i think i have resolved an issue ...maybe a yearning ,,,to do the "pacific northwest " san fran to seatle ...one day .....

nearest closest possibility is, to do the road along the wollongong coast ..(i tried that once ..all the way to melbourne... things didnt work out as planned )........the great southern (ocean) drive in victoria ...tassi is next ....west coast south island of new zealand ( "the bert munro challenge") then usa and canada

i know ill never realize most of these ...but i am gathering an amazing appreciation of the beauty that is around us , everywhere ....but if you dont start with a plan nothing will happen huh ?

right now..... nice cooling rain is upon us ....

Ghost who rides wrote:,,,only one thing better than that !

You're right there Ghost......Guinness
88KE

cheers 88

Ok 88 your brew is justifyably the premier of premiers but a tipple that takes longer to pour than drink ? We're in the ne w world , we want it NOW ! My heritage leans toward Newcastle Brown , my grandfather was George Armstrong , how Geordie is that ? Anyway we both know i wasn't refering to alcohol (insert biggest belly laugh emoticom ) after all i'm just turned 60!


Hey Chas , Club C's recent glowing endorsement of your hospitality back then , which i followed at the time, was what convinced me to drop in on Araluen , to find what i already knew , kindred souls united by a weird mechanical device but importantly , without political religious or racial divisions ! Such is the creation of the ever modest CF and long may it reign ! Ulrich and i shared a special moment where we hugged in agreement , basically about the "goodness " of humanity . My bucket list is not dissimilar to yours Chas, but they are the nuts n bolts of experiencing this fantastic planet we share , all the better if CF or Kbike or 88 or Inge etc show us their patch .

This is a long winded way of saying Get thine arse down to Tassie and you will be looked after! I'm sure Dennis and Bushy (you still there Phil Mars ?) will chime in too . Anyway GITH and i agreed that 2013 was Tassie meet ! Did he tell you ? Regardless ..... come on down !
Gordon

great news gordo ...

hey ive been lucky and the old gal has seen me through some awesome stuff ...still to do the whole ...refurbish thang ...when time and money allows ,, got plans mate ...and i better start saving for that awesome trip down thata ways ...thanks for the invitation ,,,,

i think we did talk about it ,,,,

and yes there is a comeraderie that flows from our enthusiasm ...from all the corners of the world ...viva le "k"

hey i dont know mutch ...but i hope enthusiasm is spread to all the folks round about this awesome site ....

Ok 88 your brew is justifyably the premier of premiers but a tipple that takes longer to pour than drink ? We're in the ne w world , we want it NOW !

In the UK you can now get canned Guinness, which pours relatively quickly. The glass is then put on a Surger, and with a single button operation the classic Guinness flow up the glass starts. It is far quicker than a normal draught pulled pint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zjx0rTyZys

http://www.drinksdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Guinness_Draught_Surger_520ml.html



Mike

Thanks Mike interesting vid .We get canned Guiness here too but mainly drunk by pregnant women for the iron content apparently ! We Aussie blokes get enough mining , refining , shaping, grinding and welding that drinking it is deemed unnecessary ! We drink to quench our thirst , we have a hot climate ! Anyway i want an Irish opinion on the canned stuff ? If i were in the Emerald isle i would do as the Romans do if that's not too mixed a metaphor.
Time for bed , had too many Bundys ha ha ha.

mike d wrote:

Ok 88 your brew is justifyably the premier of premiers but a tipple that takes longer to pour than drink ? We're in the ne w world , we want it NOW !

In the UK you can now get canned Guinness, which pours relatively quickly. The glass is then put on a Surger, and with a single button operation the classic Guinness flow up the glass starts. It is far quicker than a normal draught pulled pint.

Mike

Aaaarrgggh. NO! t's supposed to be slow - the anticipation is part or the fun. All the people nodding approvingly in that vid are foreigners - Never tasted proper guinness so how would they know how it compares.

Some things just need time, simples..


(see quotation below in my signature line..very apt in this situation!)


88

Thanks 88, slow
and anticipation ? I think we are back to my original inference , eh?

Seriously tho getting back to riding with mates etc. i mentioned earlier the R65, Rick long time owner , last ride was 700km day and i was on the old R75/5 , same power i think, was struggling to keep with him so competent is he . Today on the K75, 20? more ponies different story , up hills and on the straights could cream him anytime except , remember my home stretch ? lots of tight up hill and down , back to parity .... due to his superb riding skills . Nothing new to me , i've never been a racer , simply confirmation that riding motorcycles

with others is not a contest . Thats why i mostly ride alone . then , I'm Casey Stoner attacking the terrain , with companions its Where's Wally !

Hi Charlie,
Great pictures from yesterday, with you in the sun while I was returning from camping in Yorkshire in persistent rain and didn't see much of our scenery.
Ah well, the tent is now dry and ready for next weekend in Gloucestershire, can you send us some of your sun?
At least my tyres didn't wear too much yesterday.........
Cheers,
Paul.

Ghost who rides wrote:My bucket list is not dissimilar to yours Chas, but they are the nuts n bolts of experiencing this fantastic planet we share , all the better if CF or Kbike or 88 or Inge etc show us their patch .

It would be fantastic to meet you guys. Maybe in 5 years as a retirement gift.
It would also be nice to rally the North American K riders. The proposed one doesn't seem to attract too many people, but... The riding season hasn't started yet.
This summer, I am planning a trip to NewFoundland. It may still be cold in July but the K100 will be the perfect bike for that. (I may send you pictures of the K100 with icebergs in the background)
I hope to ride to St Anthony and it would be nice to cross to Goose Bay in Labrador.
K riders are invited too. I will be traveling with a friend originally from NF and he knows the area and the locals.

CF

nice trip bert ... icebergs ?....wow..!!!

This wonderful post is resonating with me as it speaks of roadtrips, friendships, motorbikes, and....Guinness! I love a good pour and when in the UK a decade or so ago I stumbled upon that extra-cold blue label Guinness and enjoyed it very much in my local in Devon. In fact I had very many. Would those then be called Guinni?

Guest in the House wrote:This wonderful post is resonating with me as it speaks of roadtrips, friendships, motorbikes, and....Guinness! I love a good pour and when in the UK a decade or so ago I stumbled upon that extra-cold blue label Guinness and enjoyed it very much in my local in Devon. In fact I had very many. Would those then be called Guinni?

I promise that if I find Guinness in NF (No doubt that I will), I will drink one thinking of you sweating in the southern hemisphere!

So two ferry rides and you are there. How far would it be without the ferries, would you have to skirt the great lakes completly?
Looks like a great trip. Oh boy are my feet getting itchy think I'm gonna have to give them a darn good scratdhing on the footpegs soon.

Crazy Frog wrote:

I promise that if I find Guinness in NF (No doubt that I will), I will drink one thinking of you sweating in the southern hemisphere! [/quote]

Thanks, CF!

The sun is out again here this morning after a two day frog strangler (pardon the pun) with rain drumming down steadily nearly all day long. Of course as I left work it hammered down with a vengeance and I rode home the long way (I like punishment) and can say that my new, so-called waterproof Forma Voyager boots and (admittedly old) BMW Pro Summer gloves actually took on a bit of water this time, a first. The main bits of me were dry, however. But wet feet and cold hands ain't my idea of riding pleasure. I'm gunna have to drag out my old worn out Sidi On Road boots which though they have no sole left under them and the stitching is coming apart here and there, I have never ever had a drop of water enter them, even as I've waded through shallow streams.



The clothesline out back looks like some biker refugee has moved in with black biker gear and gloves, boots, helmet linings hanging everywhere!

Let the sun shine in.

We got snow on the ground this morning, but early tomorrow morning, the K100 will be on the road for another 4 to 500k joy ride.
I will certainly enjoy my new Gerbin`s heated gloves

I have to laugh when I see the advertisement of Gerbin : " Designed for the rider who rides out of necessity and not just for recreation.".....
I drive the car for necessity and ride the bike for recreation ......


CF

Then there are those of us, who, for one reason or another, can and do reject the four-wheeled option. Cars are occassionally nice with their windscreen wipers and heater. But I reckon the way they're generally operated promotes inattention to the task at hand.



I ride because I like to ride, and because I have made it so that I have no other choice. But I can get away with it in this region of no ice and snow. Though I went for years in Oregon USA with no car, motorbikes only. That old black ice monster is a real pucker string tightener.

three day weekend for us queenslanders (may day) starting in just a few hours ....

hope you all get to ride out somewhere

Workin' Saderdee all day but have the usual Sundee and Mundee off. Might go fer a ride somewhere, try out these new Continental Road Attack IIs and that new Grimeca brake disc with Ferodo pads out the back. What're the weather liers sayin'?
or or equals

It looks like sunny and 25c the next four or five days! Woo hoo!

yay !! must see them tyres gith ...sounds good

hope to get out sunday here ...havent planed a destination yet

Have fun guys ... Quiet one for us...

heading for the hills tommorrow

probably via nerangbah .....but "the gap" bp is the starting point for the 'nebo climb

it will be good to test the new gear and smoother running under the rather warmish winter sun of around here .

Whilst out testing new tyres today Charlie and I stopped at a hilltop biker-themed cafe known as the Pitstop, high above Dayboro, Queensland. The road over Mt Mee is twisty and narrow and ideal for a scratch on a sunny Sunday morning. If you squint really really hard you can just make out the city of Brisbane and the white sands of Stradbroke Island in the distance. The weather was fantastic!


On the downhill side of Mt Glorious the bikes and their riders have a little lie down to cool the brakes and the tyres.


It was a fine day for riding. I reckon it was an easy 240km day.

aye !!! what a magic day

warm sunshine ...a mate ...two old and trusted ladies ..with new and shiney footware

"gith " and "the two phat tyred ladies" ...take a break around a picnic area ...in the teriffic national parks of the brisbane valley









and a beer at the end of the day

Fabulous picks guys thanks for posting. Send some of that glorious weather this way.

88KE

With a stop-over here please!!!

nice and sunny

some minor issues ...new paint and spring time insects ....doh ! (smacks head )



some of the beaut red volcanic soil up around those hills on the way to kingaroy

NIce Charlie, reminds me of around of my place. Well done on the machine mate. Got a warm day here, wife is away working, lots of stuff to do in the workshop but am already planning a coast run down the Pass when she leaves.
RT

Yes Charlie, those insects are a real pain.........I have to scrape them off my rear numberplate when they mis-judge their overtaking!

Lovely landscape.

Paul.