FarRide #18 to Nambucca Heads

OX-34

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Some of you fellow Aussies may have heard of the FarRiders - a long distance group here in Australia who conduct ride-to-eat rides of over 1000km in 24 hours.

We had 4 Teneres present and accounted for in the 100 or so bikes.

Here's my report of the ride on my Tenere:



Usually the Nambucca FarRide is a Saturday morning ride to lunch and then ride home to finish, with the Ox and Waterfall Way as highlights. This year I had another commitment on the north coast so Nambucca was the end point.

That meant Friday leave, so I made the most of it and started at 12:31pm

That precise 12:31 became the saviour of the ride….. I picked Greta, a bit to the west of Newcastle to clear the traffic and head out into the bush. Filled up at the servo at 12:22 and asked the girl with purple hair behind the counter to synchronise clocks with me. She gave me the countdown to an iced coffee docket at 12:31:06 and I was out the door.

Among other things I was keen to test out the auxiliary fuel tank set-up I’d installed last week. Following the BBG2500 last month with a 10litre jerry can, the 19litre aux would be a good thing.

Out onto the servo driveway and I could see a little puddle of fluid under the bike. Overflow maybe? In addition to mounting and auxiliary tank, I’d also punched a hole in the Tenere filler neck to both speed-up the fill rate and also to squeeze in a few more drops. I thought I may have been too keen and simply overfilled. No. The puddle was nowhere near the overflow. Closer inspection showed it was from the dry break fuel line joiner. If I’d filled and ridden off straight away, I wouldn’t have picked it up for a few hundred km – tapping on the dashboard fuel gauge and cursing I’m sure.



I bought a couple of fuel clamps and found a place to work. Pulled the dry break apart and the dripping ceased. Bad seal on the barb end? Cut the fuel line a few cm along and rejoined and clamped it. Still dripping. Clock ticking. Closer inspection showed a leaking join within the male end. Can’t fix that.

On the phone, tracked the part down and headed back into the traffic to Newcastle to the BMW dealer. 2 minute swap and into the traffic and back past the Greta service station 2 hours and 54 minutes behind.



Heading west I faced a huge thunder and lightning storm, but not square-on. Just to the south, but if I kept going for Dubbo I’d be in it soon enough. Gilgandra then, just north and still dry.

Iced coffee corner docket and south to Dubbo. My original plan didn’t include Dubbo, but with almost 3 hours lost, things had to change. I rejigged the plan on the run, aiming to hit Wagga Wagga by 00:15 to pick-up the back half of my ride plan.

With the aux now running I passed Dubbo, then stopped at Parkes for the first fuel (21:05 633km). This was just rolling down the Newell. New road for me.

Rain started at Parkes. The lightning persisted, but still to my left – the east now – I’d ridden around it.
On toward Wagga in increasing rain, left up the Goldfields Way (I think) and Old Junee and West Wyalong and Forbes along the way.

It all fined up by Wagga Wagga – stars and all. Fuel not needed, a corner docket and an iced coffee and back moving at 00:06 – ready for the commute. The Hume Highway is boring, I realize, but give it a crack through the night on a 24 hour run and it gives the opportunity to settle in to number crunching without too many distractions and there seem to be more bends and elevation changes than in the day.

Yass, Goulburn, Marulan, Sallys Corner servos came and went. Pulled in to Pheasant’s Nest (04:55 1287km) for the second fuel stop and put in 38.98 litres….. mmmmm could have pushed on?

Traffic slowly increased through the M7 and round the corner to Pennant Hills Road. F3 and beyond. At about 20:30 last night, I guessed I‘d be filling at Beresfield at the top end of the F3. No need. Crossed the Hunter River, waved towards home and turned off onto the Bucketts Way. Into fog. I hate this bit of road – the southern end of the Bucketts. But only heading northwards – southbound its OK – weird. Northwards now, intermittent fog, but no dramas. I thought I might pass or be passed by some FR#18 stragglers on this road, but no. Through Gloucester and up the climb to Walcha and still no FarRiders.

Stopped for fuel as 4 bikes were leaving – a pair 600s? an ER-6 and gixxer, a multi-coloured Fireblade and maybe an older Honda litre bike – not sure. Nambucca’s not far, so I just filled up the auxiliary and rode off (08:34 15.7L and 1773km so far).

I had a police escort all the way into the twisty section, but he turned around a few km later. Soon after the 600s were behind me and the bigger bikes waiting for them at Gingers Creek. All rolling again the Fireblade soon dusted me up – passed me and a car and him tipped in and committed in the middle of the wrong lane on a right hander – glad he had that x-ray vision through the rocks turned on. His mate was right behind me so I waved him through at the red light in the middle. They must have kept up quite a pace, as I passed them down on the flat they had helmets, gloves and jackets off – maybe even coffee brewing by the side of the road. It’s a glorious bit of bitumen for tyre testing.

Cruisy run along the flats, followed the GPS lady’s instructions and found yet another way to cut the corner and shave a few km of Pacific Highway boredom and popped out at Telegraph Point. Behind Clint and Charleen.

Or so I thought. Seems they came from the north, so it wasn’t them. Ed and Grumpy on QLD plates maybe?

Back-road via Smithtown to bypass Kempsey and straight in front of Frans’ big blue wing. Actually I had no idea who it was, nor what colour bike it was until he overtook me. In my mirrors all I saw was light s lights and more lights. Nice roo cookers you have there Frans!

About a half a dozen gear changes later we wheeled into the V Wall carpark.

On time and 2058km completed for FarRide East #18.

 

rem

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Damn, son, that was a fine write-up. sounds like a great trip. I'll have to look up Wagga Wagga. Neat name. Thanks for doing that. R ::008::
 

Epping

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Great write up. Thanks. And you do that for fun :question: ??? ::). The kangaroos and strays would worry me at dusk & dawn. Less so now I guess, as we've had so much rain there's less need for them to nibble the green fringes. BTW what's with the spare grip on the tank bag and how do you find the Air Hawk?
 

OX-34

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Epping said:
Great write up. Thanks. And you do that for fun :question: ??? ::). The kangaroos and strays would worry me at dusk & dawn. Less so now I guess, as we've had so much rain there's less need for them to nibble the green fringes. BTW what's with the spare grip on the tank bag and how do you find the Air Hawk?
Yeah, just for fun. Thats just a day ride out in the country ::025::

Kangaroos and strays? Always on my mind. Not a single roo on this ride, and I was looking for them:


The spare grip? Trivial function: I log all fuel stops with permanent marker on laminated spreadsheets, but don't take the time to allow them to dry. The grip lifts the cover up off the wet ink. Lame, I know.

The air hawk is great, but not really that necessary on day runs like this, especially on the Tenere. Multi-day rides on the Blackbird is where it really paid for itself.
 

Tremor38

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OX-34 said:
Yeah, just for fun. Thats just a day ride out in the country ::025::

Kangaroos and strays? Always on my mind. Not a single roo on this ride, and I was looking for them:


The spare grip? Trivial function: I log all fuel stops with permanent marker on laminated spreadsheets, but don't take the time to allow them to dry. The grip lifts the cover up off the wet ink. Lame, I know.

The air hawk is great, but not really that necessary on day runs like this, especially on the Tenere. Multi-day rides on the Blackbird is where it really paid for itself.
Can you summarize your lighting one more time? I remember seeing your build thread somewhere but it was awhle back. The lights under your headlights look like Denali D-1s (sometimes branded as Soltek). You definitely have a heckuva visual footprint with all of those that combined. R U holding a charge with them all on at once?
 

tubebender

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Nice report. Had to read it a couple of times to translate the Aussie slang!
 

OX-34

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Hi Tremor38

Yes they are Denali D1s - 4 of them under the main lights on one switch.
Up high are 2 x PIAA 25watt Cross Country HIDs
Out wide 2 x Shoreline generic 35watt 4 inch HIDs

All four HIDs are on a second switch.

Both switches are triggered by the high beam wire. This gives lighting options of:
Low beam
High beam
High beam plus LEDs for mixed traffic requiring on/off repeatedly.
High beam plus HIDs for more remote roads with sustained periods of no traffic.
High beam plus LEDs plus HIDs - the whole shebang. ::015::


I've just bought an FJR ::022:: and will set it up in a similar way.
I bought the Denali D2s as they have 70% more output, but unfortunately can't be screwed together to make double pods like the D1s.

I'll bolt them on to the FJR to see whether I need to add a handful of D1s, or a pair of HIDs........
 

OX-34

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tubebender said:
Nice report. Had to read it a couple of times to translate the Aussie slang!
Sorry about the lingo, cobber ::)
 

GrahamD

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Thanks for the report OX cobber, it was You Beaut.

Struth, I didn't even notice any Lingo,..

Lucky you didn't have to Bail out when the part Carked it Hey.
Glad the traffic wasn't so bad in the Big Smoke you had to chuck a Yewy.

So that part that was cactus, was that actually a BMW part?


Cheers
Cobber Graham
 

OX-34

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GrahamD said:
............ was that actually a BMW part?
Not on you Nellie GrahamD

Its a CRG thingamajig that the stealers at the BMW shop downtown flogged to me.

"Whaddya want for it?" I asked the bloke behind the bar.

"48 bucks" 'e said.

"Stone the flamin' crows mate - ya pulling me leg!"

"Nah, mate its $48 bucks orl right - take it or leave it"

"Crikey! Well, the back tanks as dry as a dead dingo's donger without it - SOLD"

"There ya go mate. Hit the frog and toad. Fill 'er up sunshine, 'n you'll still be fanging at sparrow fart"

"Ooo roo, mate"

"Copulator"
 

bikerdoc

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struth you two had me polishing the floor with that lot, whatdaya reckon...
bonza write up there trev... nah not on your nelly... that'd be an OX.
 
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