Andy's new life on a bike

Ride around Tassie-Day 1 & 2

2009-01-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

1 January 2009

The alarm goes off at 5:30am. Now usually this would start the ball rolling on some moaning, eyes trying to pry open, picking up the phone (the source of the alarm) and squinting to find the button that will snooze that annoying noise for another 10 minutes.

But not today.

Today we were heading over to Tassie on the boat for 8 days of riding pleasure. Woo hoo!!

The kids back to their other homes last night so after dropping the boys off at the airport, we got home, packed up the bikes (well, J's bike anyway).

Here are the bikes ready to go!! J bought the gear sack just before christmas. All of our clothes fitted OK as I had a backpack as well however when J wasn't wearing his motorbike pants they took up a bit of room in the bag. Oh well .. just meant nobody could get gifts from Tassie as there was no more room!!!

We arrived at Port Melbourne and went straight around to the gate (just before you drive onto the boat). We were about 6 or 7 back from the front and had about a half hour wait before the gates opened. There were a few bikes at the front so we stopped and talked to those guys. I was getting pretty desperate for a coffee so it was a good thing that the gates opened within the half hour they promised!!!

The team on Spirit of Tassie said that it was a very slow day with only 200 cars travelling across so all being well, we would leave on time.

The crossing was pretty rough and I felt a bit sick - unfortunately too sick to enjoy the bottle of Oyster Bay Sav Blanc we bought from the restaurant at lunch time!!!! I managed to get one glass down however and then had a lie down and a brief snooze in the afternoon.

We docked in Devenport at around 6:00pm and headed to the hotel where we were spending the night. Edgewater hotel - a pretty cheap place ($155.00 a night) but the bed is a king size and was SOOO comfortable. It has everything you need. The pub/restaurant is also not bad - relatively cheap and we did think at the time that the food wasn't too bad (after 8 days we soon discovered that that pub was the worst place we ate at during the holiday).

Anyway ... had some dinner .... off to bed and a good night's sleep as we had a good day of riding ahead of us the next day.

2 January 2009

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day. Was only going to be in the high teens, but it wasn't too cold.

We left the hotel at about 9:00 (from memory) - the destination was Strahan and we would be heading there via Cradle Mountain and a few other touristy places.

The ride from Devenport to Wilmot was absolutely sensational. The road sat alongside the Forth River for a lot of the way and the scenery was just beautiful.

Lots of great twists and turns but you had to always be very careful about gravel on the road.

We stopped at a lookout just before Wilmot ... a sign caught our fancy "Valley of Views" and we wondered how you get a view in a valley??

Regardless of our inability to understand the valley of the views, it was a lovely little town and there were indeed, some lovely views.

This being one of them!!

About 1km down the road was the tiny town of Wilmot ... a shop (post office, cafe, hardware store and newsagent all in one) and little school and a church is what we found.

We stopped for a caffeine fix (which was surprisingly not too bad) and had a chat to the locals. They asked where we were heading, and when we said Cradle Mountain, they informed us that it snowed there last night so be careful of black ice.

What the??

It's summer for goodness sake.

J had a bit of a laugh at me because I'd forgotten my wet weather pants but I was able to get one back when I reminded him that I could turn my hot grips on and his hands would still be freezing!!

As we approached Cradle Mountain you could feel the temperature drop quite considerably. We slowly made our way up the road and couldn't believe when we did actually see snow on the side of the road!! Oh crap ... then the rain then started ... the freezing cold rain that makes your bones ache!!

We stopped at the Tavern and for the next hour or so watched the weather change from rain to hail to sunshine to rain and hail again. The open fire was blazing and the lamb shanks that I ordered were going down a treat so we made the decision to forfeit the top of the mountain and head out to warmer pastures!!

We stopped for petrol just before we left Cradle Mountain and I had a giggle when I saw that the price of diesel was about $2.70. Unbelievable. So glad we weren't in a 4WD.

The route then took us across the Reece Dam and eventually into Strahan.

Without boring you with the details, it was a stunning ride. So many great corners and places to ride. The scenery is absolutely stunning and changes every 10 minutes or so.

We arrived late in the afternoon at our temporary home for the next 2 nights. A great little self contained unit (again with a king bed .. yay), TV, kitchen, bathroom, laundry etc. Very clean and neat and a 3 minute walk from the local supermarket. We stocked up on food for the next couple of days and then spent the night watching dodgy TV on Foxtel.

Day 1 (of the riding) was outstanding (apart from the cold bits near Cradle Mountain) and I knew that if the rest of the trip was like that, it would be a very memorable time indeed.

Total kms: 296km

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Tomorrow ... Gordon River Cruise!

It's gone ....

2008-12-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

the L plate that is!!

Went for my licence last night and passed!! Woo hoooooooooo!!

Took the L off of Scarlett first thing this morning (even though I didn't ride her to work .. Christmas party today = lots of drinking :-)).

The test was harder than I thought it would be but I got there in the end. The instructor said I was a very cautious rider which is not a bad thing, but with emergency stops I needed to be a bit heavier on the break.

It was pretty different to being on my own bike but I'll try my best to implement some of the things he showed us last night.

This time in 12 months .............. finances pending I'll have a new bike ................... if we are poor I'll dust of the CBR and use her as my new bike.

Yay me!!

Sorry ... how many corners did you say??

2008-12-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Melbourne so J & I met a friend for breakfast and then decided to do a ride.

I had been told that the ride from Eltham to King Lake was pretty impressive so we decided to head to King Lake, then back through Healesville, Marysville for lunch, then via Reefton Spur and Warbuton before arriving home.

The ride to King Lake was exceptionally hard .... awesomely fun .... but really really hard. A lot of 15km/25km corners .. with very steep drops on the side. Very thin lanes as well so I figured the slightest mistake would mean lights out for me!!

Definitely a ride I want to do again however.

We finally got through the Black Spur with no rain or crap on the road!!! That was a positive and what a fun bit of road that is. Must admit, after doing the road to King Lake, the Black Spur seemed relatively easy.

Reefton however is a different matter ... beautiful to look at ... but you really can't enjoy it to it's full extent as concentration levels had to be quite high!!!

J has a little gizmo that tracks our movements. Link below if you are interested in seeing the route we took. We'll be using this for our Tassie trip also as it logs where we take photos (no more "where the hell did we take this photo").

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&start=-191&num=200&msa=0&msid=106656355813668689808.00045d6ff8773a56f7b22&ll=-37.744657,145.505676&spn=1.046826,1.768799&z=9

We managed to get back just in time for Sarah's christmas concert too, so a really great day was had by all.

Only real problem was listening to J complain about his sore ass!!!

Netrider Mystery Ride

2008-11-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

J & I joined a group of motorcycle enthusiasts called NetRider .... good community of motorbike folk ... ranging from beginners like myself to your hard core hoons. They have a number of weekly rides ... and Tuesday nights they have a 'Learner rider' ride.

It was such a beautiful night last night, we decided to join them.

We met at a BP Servo in St Kilda ... I was running late and only just arrived on time .... but was very surprised to see how many bikes there were. It was almost like going to a bike expo without having to pay the entry fee!!!

Bikes of every description were there (except scooters. ... I think they know not to show their faces at an event such as this, hahaha).

J was pretty pleased to show off his bike and he got a lot of comments (show off) although I did have a comment on my Scarlett and how good she looked in her colours. You go girl!!

The leader gave the instructions on corner marking, no overtaking on corners etc etc ... and then the rumble of the bikes started. I believe there were 47 bikes there so you can imagine the noise that we made as we sat there. I'm sure the St Kilda residents love Tuesday nights!!

Oh ... forgot to say that although this is a Learner ride .. I reckon there were about 5 learners in the entire group!!

Anyway .. we headed off, through the backstreets of wherever ... over the Westgate ... through some more backstreets (apparently around Laverton, Altona way). As you have probably guessed, we had absolutely no clue where we were.

Loads and loads of turns, quite a few roundabouts and probably some of the worst streets I have ridden on. Hope those people don't pay much for their rates because the roads need some serious work!!!

Apart from a couple of idiots that believe there is only one way to ride .. flat out .... there was a general sense of respect for everybody on the road. There were also a few that felt they had to overtake at every opportunity in case their 'toughness' was questioned, it was great to ride with the group.

We ended up in some late night taxi rank/car wash/drug dealer's lair ... had a burger (mind you, very good burgers), a drink and a wee and then off home again.

It was a really good night, met some nice people and drooled over some very very nice bikes. A dark orange & black GSXR particularly caught my attention .. beautiful looking bike, as did a silver CBR 1100.

Storms are set to hit Melbourne again this afternoon and tonight so it may be the last ride for a few days. Bloody Melbourne weather!!

A ride with the Colonel and a service

2008-11-24T12:33:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have the weather gods looking down and smiling at us. While it wasn't particularly sunny, at least it wasn't raining and cold!! (It still kills me that we have used the heater a couple of times throughout November!!!!!!).

Of course J was in dire need of riding his new love. The plan was to go to Dad's to pick up the bikes (long story that is boring and irrelevant to the story as to why they were there), breakfast at Sassy's (Nunawading) and then through the Spur up to Marysville.

At breakfast, J wanted to show the owner the bike ... so out she came ... had a look at his .. then at mine .... then at his ..... looked at me and said 'well yours is cute'. Grrrrrrr. I don't want a cute bike ... I want a mean, tough, beastly bike. Well, maybe not that far, but cute?? Ease up tiger!!!!!! She loved J's bike and of course that just made him grin even more (if that's even possible).

After a lovely breakfast of bacon and eggs, we headed back to Dad's to pick him up so that he could go for a ride with us. Why do we call him the colonel? He grew a goatee (so hip my dad) and it is completely white (as is his hair) ..... so somebody decided he looks like Colonel Sanders and the name has stuck!!!

Anyway, off we went through Healesville, the Spur (where there was loads and loads of crap on the road thanks to the winds and storm) and ended up at Marysville for lunch. I was told yesterday by a guy at work (who has a place in Eildon) that only that morning through the spur, the SES were removing large trees from the road.

We've been through the Spur twice now when it's been wet and/or crappy .... maybe it will be third time lucky soon and we can enjoy some of the corners as the good lord has intended them for the motorcyclists.

Was an ace day .... a few things have clicked into place for me and are becoming easier so that is making riding that much more enjoyable.

Scarlett also had a service yesterday and she's feeling awesome. I was having problems with the gear box ... it felt very clunky and there has been some incidents going from neutral to 1st, where it jumps back into neutral. I thought for a while it was me, being a learner, not really putting it into gear properly but J had experienced it too when he rode her.

Anyway ... whatever they did at the service has fixed it right up. Gear box feels lovely and smooth, and not clunky any more. Steering is a lot tighter (apparently head bearings were loose) and all up, running beautifully.

If only she had more power!!!!!

Go faster .. go faster .....

2008-11-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday J & I headed out to our usual Sunday morning breakfast place. Weather was spectacular and we decided to drop in to see a friend on the way home. As it so happens, it meant a trip through the Dandenongs to get there. Of course, being a beautiful day had it's downfall ... too many cars holding us up!!

From the moment I got on the bike yesterday morning, I seemed to have my 'groove'. I manouvered through the first 2 roundabouts with ease and didn't feel anxious for the first time in 4 months so I was really looking forward to seeing how I went through the hills. The cars holding us up were kind of annoying but Scarlett and I seemed to be at one with the world .. and all was good :-))

As we left our friend's place, J pulled over to the side of the road. Not knowing what was going on I stopped also .. waited for him to approach and then I heard "want to swap bikes??".

Well ... um ... err .... shit yeah!!!!

He gave me some instruction on how different his bike would be to handle .. so take it easy to start with and see how I go.

The CBR felt big ... really big and heavy so the first thing of note was if I drop it, there's no way I'm picking it up off the ground ....... so ................ DON'T DROP IT!!!

I had a quick vision of hitting the accelerator too hard and letting out the clutch too quickly and me doing a very quick mono down the road before I landed on my ass with the bike sliding down the road. So, accelerator came on very slowly and clutch let out even slower!!! I let a couple of cars pass until I got the feel of it.

Surprisingly it didn't take long before I felt comfortable enough to actually do the speed limit!!

By the time we got to Thompsons Road (about 7 mins from home) I was wanting to keep going further down the road. Riding the CBR was a totally different experience to my poor little Scarlett .... it actually felt like a real bike! I turned onto Western Port Highway (around the roundabout too slowly I'm told) and then opened her up. Boy, you only have to breath on the right hand and she winds up.

I don't think I stopped grinning the whole way home. I looked at my beautiful Scarlett as John got off her and thought to myself "you're lovely ... but you really have to go soon" :-))

Me thinks when J gets his new bike, the CBR will become my new best friend for a while!!

The Spur

2008-11-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Legend has it that the Black Spur is a ripper of a ride for bikes .... and I would have to agree!!

On Monday we jumped on the bikes and decided to do a ride. J had previously bought a little jigger that tracks your ride and even logs where you took photos (no more "oh crap .. where did we take that pic"). The weather didn't look overly great but we thought the rain would hold off (big mistake).

We headed off from home and headed through Berwick, Emerald and through to Lilydale (what an awesome ride that is). Lilydale to Healesville through the Spur and then on to Marysville. It had been raining so was quite cold but the scenery was still really beautiful. I was pretty anxious as we approached the Spur ... kept saying to myself "please don't let today be the day I come off the bike".

We took it pretty slow due to the wet roads but it was still a whole lot of fun going around the twisties.

From Marysville we decided to head up to Lake Mountain and back through Reefton Spur (which I believe is tougher still) however as we got higher up the mountain, the rain started, the mist came in and visibility was really low so J called it and we turned around and headed back the way we came.

Yesterday the weather was perfect (why didn't we do the Spur then!!!) so we jumped on the bikes again and headed to Sky High for a coffee (top of the Dandenongs). We went back through Berwick and Emerald and through to Olinda. Stopped for a coffee then back down the hill to Knox where we bought a BBQ and then dropped in to see Dad and Liz.

Was a great couple of days on the bike .... it's becoming one of my most favourite things to do!

Now you may also notice that I have been very quiet about the 'L' plates after posting that I was going to get rid of them!!

Unfortunately the backyard took precedence over my test so every last cent is going into that. I'm hoping to take the test next month because as my dear husband so eloquently puts it "I'm not going to Tassie with a loser on an L plate". :-))

"L"unatic plates ....

2008-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

.... will be gone in a month!!!

Well, let's hope so anyway!!

I've booked in for my test on the 14 October so I'm hoping that all my riding so far will help me pass.

Still in two minds whether to take the test on my bike but I figure if I do drop it (touch wood that I don't) I'm better off on their bike.

Will decide on the day I guess!!!!

An anniversary and a trip down the Great Ocean Road

2008-08-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today (19 August) is our 1 year anniversary so as previous mentioned, on the weekend we packed the bikes and headed to Aireys Inlet for 3 days of riding and relaxation. What did I learn this weekend? Those two words don't necessarily always go together!!!

Day 1

We left Melbourne on Friday afternoon and headed straight for Aireys - wanted to get there before dark. 'Aireys Inlet Getaway' was the first place we had a weekend away so we thought it fitting to go back. We were even in the very same cabin!!

Day 2

One of the charms of the accommodation are the birds. The owners give you a little container of seed so that you can feed the parrots, rosellas and cockys every morning. The native birds are well aware of this and if you haven't opened the door by a certain time each morning, sometimes they'll even knock on the door to get you to feed them!!

So we say good morning to the birds (about 5 x cockys and some other green parrots as per pic below) and what a friendly bunch - as you can see by the pics. J was feeling very 'at one' with nature and was enjoying the experience when all of a sudden I hear "oh f%*$( ... bastard bird". Cannibal cocky has taken a huge chunk out of his finger!!! After a few "oh for god sake, toughen up" from me, he showed me where the bird had mistaken his flesh for some seed and it was quite a nasty bite. I did get the giggles though :-)) Needless to say there was no more feeding the cockys after this.

On Saturday, we went to Lorne for breakfast at a place called 'Kafe Kaos'. This was to become our 'regular' for the 3 days. They made an awesome coffee!!

After a lazy breakfast it was back to the cabin for an hour or so and then on to Leopold. We headed to Torquay, through Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove and arrived at Bern & Perry's place by about 3:00pm. For those that are unaware, B & P have become our cyber friends due to us both building a Porter Davis house and it was awesome to finally meet them in person. We have definitely made some long term friends there I hope. Guys - you rock!! Make sure you keep the bikes because we'd like to do some rides with you in the future. Their house is absolutely beautiful and HUGE!! Their pantry is about the size of our lounge room :-)) Well done to you both - you are well deserving of such a beautiful home. See you soon I hope.

After a great catch up and a cuppa it was back to Aireys Inlet. We stopped in Torquay on the way back as J's bike was just about to clock the 100,000 mark!!! We then stopped on the side of the road (just outside of Torquay) when it hit 0000. "A new bike .. I have a new bike" came the cries from J.

We stopped for some Chinese takeaway at Anglesea and back to the cabin. We had been given a bottle of Bolinger Champagne for our wedding and for the past 12 months have been agonizing over when we should drink such an expensive bottle of grog!! We decided that our 1 year anniversary was as good a time as any so after the open fire was raging .. the DVD player ready to go and the chinese food served, J popped the bottle.

OH ...... MY ......... GOD! No champagne will ever live up to the standard of this drink and I don't know how I can ever drink the cheap stuff again!!!! lol. Thanks Derek & Sue for letting us into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, if only for a moment. Can I ever drink the cheap stuff again??????

Day 3

Today would be a big day and unfortunately, the weather was unkind for most of the day. In true 'Melbourne' style, we definitely had 3 of the seasons (no sign of summer unfortunately).

Off to Lorne again for breakfast and then through to Apollo Bay where I have found my mojo and started to really enjoy the corners at a good speed. What an awesome stretch of road and it soon because my favourite.

I managed to get from Lorne to Apollo Bay without using the brakes, and while I didn't break any land speed records, it was certainly quick enough for a new rider. We continued through the Bay and on to Lavers Hill where we stopped for a coffee and a stretch.

Through the Otway Ranges (very very cold) and we saw this sign (see below) that made us giggle.

We eventually ended up at the 12 Apostles, where, as per the last time we were there, it rained!! Still, it really is quite spectacular and we went onto the look out .. in our helmets ... looking like idiots ... but very dry!! Who are the idiots now people!!

We stopped at Apollo Bay for a late lunch and then back to Aireys Inlet.

It was becoming a bit of a joke between J & I to see how long we could go before using the breaks. I was definitely improving on every corner so my aim with every stretch of road was to get around the bends at a reasonable speed, with no breaks. I was feeling very confident so as we were leaving Apollog Bay I made a bet with J ... first one to touch their breaks at a corner buys dinner.

Who won the bet? He ordered the most expensive piece of steak he could.

Sunday was a huge day and the riding had really taken it out of me. While the fire was starting up I'm sure I dozed off a couple of times so I figured straight after dinner at the pub, it would be in bed for me. I think I was snoring by about 8:00pm!! What a party animal. It had been an awesome day though and I knew my riding had improved because of it.

Day 4

Yep, you guessed it ... back to Lorne for breakfast (after checking out) and we thought we'd head to Colac before coming back to Melbourne. The road from Lavers Hill to Colac is meant to be great for motorbikes so we figured we may as well do it while we're out this way!!

Well it was an awesome road and a whole lot of fun on the bikes. Why the hell would you travel any other way!!!

Lunch at a pub in Colac where they had surprisingly good food, back to Lorne for a final coffee at Kafe Kaos and then on to Queenscliff where we caught the ferry to Sorrento and back home again. I think we did about 400kms that day.

So all in all ... other than the weather being the only dodgy thing .... the weekend was absolutely brilliant. My riding improved immensely and it was very evident when we were almost home. Due to some road works near the entrance to our estate, we have to go down to a set of traffic lights and do a U-turn. On the other side of road are 3 lanes and every attempt to date to get around the lights has been me ending up in the far lane as my skills at turning in a tight circle were pretty crap. Well last night, I made the U-turn and went straight into the lane closest to the lights!! Woo hooo .... did I feel great about that.

I learnt so much about my bike and how far I can push it in the dry and in the wet. The bike has hit just over 3,000kms now and I'm learning every day.

Yay!! I love my bike.

2,000kms and G.O.Road here we come

2008-08-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Honk honk honk ..... Scarlett has just ticked over 2,000kms. Not too bad an effort for a newbie who has been riding for 5 and a half weeks!!

This weekend J and I are heading down to Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road. As long as the weather is reasonable, hopefully we'll do some sightseeing and riding along one of the most famous Roads in the world. Have done it in a car ... I imagine it will be quite a different experience on the bike.

Also very excited to be heading to Geelong to visit Bern & Perry in their beautiful new house. From memory I think their moving day is today so I feel very priviledged that we will get to see their place tomorrow. The internet has been a tool of 'the devil' in many respects for me over the last few years but one of the great things about it is the ability to meet people that you wouldn't normally meet in your day to day life. We have followed for the last couple of years, the decision making processes and building of B&P's new house ... and at times I forget that we have never met!!

So guys - if you're reading this ... will see you tomorrow at some stage!!

Looking out the window it's very bleak and wet. Quick prayer to the big fella' upstairs I think so that we have a safe journey this afternoon.

Ride on!

300kms and beautiful scenery along the way

2008-08-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my very first 'big' ride and I have to say that I truly am an idiot for waiting this long to do anything about getting on 2 wheels!!

The weather was beautiful (although could have been a little bit warmer in the morning!!) so it surely was going to be a good day.

J & I were invited to ride with the Melbourne chapter of the Ulysses Club by a colleague I work with. Fortunately when he sent the invitation he started the email with "by no means am I suggesting you are old enough to join ....". Lucky escape for him!!

We were to meet at the designated area in Lilydale so we went to breakfast first (in Nunawading) and then headed to Lilydale for a 10:00am start. We saw the bikes lined up and can I just say that motorbike riders really do know how to look after their bikes. I felt a little bit embarassed on my little GS500 with bright yellow L plate on the back ...... but I guess they were all in my position at one point in life (albeit many many years ago!!!).

The advice I was given:

1. Go at your own pace
2. Be aware of bikes passing you on your right (it will happen a lot!!!)
3. Have fun

So right on 10:00am the roar of the engines (including the sewing machine sounding engine of Scarlett) permeated through Lilydale and we were off!

The route would be Lilydale - Langwarry (?) where we would stop for a coffee and then from there on to Inverloch.

As first anticipated, we were passed by about 15 bikes with the 60 something year old lady on her Virago and a pink helmet the only one that my bike could pass!! I felt a bit sorry for J as I could see he was dying to open his bike up and keep up with the big boys. But as the good husband he is, he hung about in 'slow' land with me.

Mind you ..... when I say I was slow ..... I very rarely did much under 100kms around the twists and turns and at one point, Scarlett revved her little heart out to sit on about 130km/hr. I couldn't even begin to imagine how quick the boys were going past me but trust me when I say, they were quick!!!

Some of the scenery through the hills into Inverloch was absolutely beautiful and I only wish that I had the confidence to enjoy it rather than concentrate on my turns. There was barely a straight piece of road so I could understand why they chose that route.

They had a rule that the second rider in the pack must stop when the leader tells you to become a 'corner marker' so that the rest of the group knows where to go at a cross roads or intersection. Another bike then stops at the other side of the corner so that you know you have taken the right turn. About 10kms out of Inverloch J mentioned that we were just behind the leader ... uh oh ... that means we had to be the corner markers!! Crap!!!!!! I didn't feel comfortable doing it so a quick check in my mirrors and I couldn't see any bikes. Double crap!!! So I slowed Scarlett and hoped that I would see some bikes soon. Sure enough, about 4 or 5 bikes passed me (again, very quickly) so I knew I would be safe for another few corners at least.

Up ahead I saw John on the side of the road which indicated he was second behind the leader ... gave him a bit of a wave as I went past knowing that he would have to wait for the remainder of the riders. At this stage of the ride, we were probably separated by about 20kms of distance so he was going to be there a while!!! I took the opportunity to try to get some more speed up through the corners ... some I did well on, others I didn't feel comfortable so obviously much more practice needed!! A good excuse to ride in the hills I say.

We finally arrived at Inverloch and waited for everybody to arrive. A quick bite of fish & chips, relax and chat and then it was every man for himself really. You could choose to head home with the group or go home any way you wanted.

I have family in Grantville so we decided to drop in there for a cuppa. We followed about 6 bikes through Wonthaggi & Kilcunda and then let them continue on as we reached the farm.

After about an hour's break there, it was time to head home.

I think we did just over 300kms that day .... I learnt a whole lot about Scarlett and what she can and can't do and also learnt that cornering is a whole lot of fun.

The next big ride will be down to Aireys Inlet in a couple of weeks when we head down for our wedding anniversary (first place we ever had a holiday) so I really hope the weather holds out for us.

That's all for now ... Andy out.

1,000kms

2008-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

This morning's ride into work saw Scarlett's mileage reach the magic 1,000 km mark.

In she goes for her first service next Monday!!!!

I've been pretty good the last couple of weeks obeying the owner's manual which says not to exceed 5,500 revs and full throttle (the only exception to the revs is when I have missed a gear and it's shot up to about 6 or 7 thousand........ d'oh).

I'm not sure if it's my confidence building or the bike seems to have improved, but whatever it is, I'm really enjoying riding.

I don't even mind the cold mornings so much .... it's the FREEZING evenings that are a killer. I need better gloves as I currently wear 2 pairs and my fingers still get painful from the cold!!!

I have also managed to avoid riding in any heavy rain and hoping to keep it that way for the remainder of the winter!!

I'm looking forward to my first 'big' ride which will be down the Great Ocean Road to Aireys Inlet where we are spending the weekend for our 1st anniversary (far out .. can't believe it's been 1 year already!!!).

It's all good!

A ride through the 'Nongs

2008-07-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I was very pleased to see that the sun was shining and no sign of rain ..... woo hoo ... bring on a ride to the Dandenongs.

I had picked up some thermal pants and a top from Mountain Designs on Saturday and a neck warmer so I was rugged up and ready for the chilly Melbourne morning. That neck warmer is the best $20 I've ever spent I'm sure! When we arrived at our usual breakfast cafe, John was very chilly (he couldn't find his neck warmer) and I was toasty warm.

It was the first day that I'd ridden in the wind....so tick that one off as a 'first experience done'.

We had breakfast and then it was off to 'them 'thar hills'.

We headed down Burwood Highway and up through Belgrave to Kallista then back down through Narre Warren and back home. I followed John this time, watching his line as he went around the corners. By the time we got down the hill, I wanted to go back up again and do it all over again. It was great!!

What did I learn yesterday:

1. If you approach the corner in the right gear, you really don't need to use your brake (except for tight corners)
2. When looking through the corner and a car approaches from the other direction, don't look at the car
3. Always take a neck warmer on rides in winter!

I have clocked up 280kms on the bike ... still on the same tank of petrol so I imagine at any minute she'll splutter and I'll have to fuel up.

Things I learnt this morning on my ride to work:

1. Don't forget to pick up bloody shoes!!!! I think I'm going to have to leave them at work.
2. Remember to pick up your purse before heading out the door

This whole 'getting ready' on a motorcycle thing is a learning curve in itself! Normally it's just grab the handbag and off I go ... but at the moment it takes an extra 20 mins before I can even leave the house.

But ... not complaining ..... I wouldn't give up this for anything (not even an extra 20 minute sleep in!!).

100 kms - woo hoo

2008-07-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well I clicked over 100kms on my bike today .. sounded the horn and did a 'woo hoo' in my helmet to celebrate. Yes ... I think it's official .... I've lost the plot!!!!

I had a bit of an 'internal' smile this morning when we woke up .... normally the first thought is 'oh crap, I don't want to go to work' or 'oh man, what problems are going to come up today'. However this morning's first thought was 'is it raining? no ... yay ... we can take the bikes!!'.

Will this novelty ever wear off? Yeah I guess it will but I'm hoping that it's always a pleasure and not a chore.

The roads were wet so I was a little bit nervous about the corners. Fortunately on the way to work there are no real tight corners ... there is a U-turn but I avoided that and went 500metres down the road to the round-about... what a woos!!! Still feel really nervous going into a corner but I'm sure that with time I'll get that under control.

Good things I learnt today:

1. My gear changes are getting much smoother
2. I'm getting up to the speed limit a lot quicker than I was on Wednesday
3. My wrists aren't anywhere near as sore today ... either bike levers are loosening up or I am!

Things I need to work on:

1. Confidence in cornering
2. Head checks before pulling out .... I do them all the time when changing lanes but forgot to do it today when John and I pulled out of the servo
3. Remember to take a scarf!!!

If the weather is nice on Sunday, John and I will hopefully do a run on the bikes together. Out to normal breakfast place and then maybe up to the Dandenongs.

To quote Kramer ... "I'm out there Jerry and I'm loving it"

(for those that know Seinfeld ... the quote is not in reference to what Kramer was talking about)

:-)

Sorry 'Cages'

2008-07-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

I have very quickly taken on the communication of a true bikey chick (or bikey mole as my work mates now call me) and have decided to call people in cars 'cages'.

Anyway ... at lunch time a group of us went out (me on the bike, the others in the car). It was actually lovely and sunny (not too cold either) so it seemed the right thing to do :-)

From that riding experience:

1. I very quickly need to work out how to find 1st all the time - held up a few 'cages' at lights and they were not very pleased

2. Had to go the long way because I was too nervous about doing a u-turn. Even the way I went had a bit of a tight turn into an s-bend type scenario and I went too wide coming into it. didn't hit the curb but gave myself a bit of a fright as I got pretty close. Still feel very nervous about turns as I am worried the I'll turn to tightly and the bike will slip out from under me

John tells me practising figure 8's in a car park helps that.

I'm keeping a close eye on the weather in the hope it doesn't rain on the way home!!!

First ride

2008-07-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well this morning it wasn't raining so John and I rode in to work.

I was feeling pretty nervous about the whole concept of riding a new bike (bigger bike than I've ever ridden before), stalling in traffic, stopping in time, not over revving it (as the manual says) ... I guess all the standard stuff that a newbie worries about.

John followed me the whole way in so I figured that at each set of traffic lights he could tell me what I could improve on etc etc so I was a little more confident that he was with me.

First thing I noted for tomorrow ... allow an extra 10 mins in the morning to get my gear on and everything organised.

Unfortunately our estate is off a freeway so straight away I would have to be confident enough to ride as close to the speed limit as I felt comfortable with!!

It was a bit nerve wracking and John made the comment later "doing 60kms an hour down the Western Port Highway was a new experience for me". Smart ass :-))

I did get her up to 100km and it didn't feel as scary as I thought it would. The bike felt comfortable on the road and I was expecting to feel a bit wobbly but I didn't, so I guess that's a good thing.

Unfortunately it was very foggy this morning so I had my visor up for the first 10 mins or so ...... but then when I went to put it down, the whole thing was covered in moisture so I couldn't see through it anyway. So went the rest of the journey with my visor up.

Second point to note: Never buy an open face helmet!! By the time I arrived at work it looked like I had been crying all morning and everybody keeps asking if I'm OK!!!!

Don't know how to fix that issue .. maybe sunglasses?? I'll work on that another foggy morning I guess.

We went through a lot of traffic ... one idiot pulled straight out in front of me and John's comment was "get used to it". Got a sore wrist from the clutch and my new boots made it difficult to get my foot under the gears. Got my foot caught a couple of times but managed to minimise any effect on my riding.

But all in all ... I was happy that I got to work without too much going wrong. It was as much fun as i thought it would be and the bike feels really lovely to ride. Not too big but not really small like the ones at the testing centre.

I didn't stall which was a bonus ... and managed to find neutral each time I needed to (another concern of mine).

When I got to work I felt really pleased with myself and can definitely see myself riding to work every day (except when it's raining as I don't have wet weather pants at the moment).

I'm still grinning I'm sure!!

Oh ... another thing I need to fix tomorrow. Bring work shoes for during the day as wearing bike boots under my work gear looks kind of stupid!!!

Thank you husband .... you have made this little wife very very happy!!

:-)

Watch out Melbourne .....

2008-07-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

I got my L's yesterday!!! wooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dad and I met at DECA in Carrum Downs yesterday, just before 8:00am, where we were both very excited about the day's events. Dad's christmas present last year was for me to pay for his Learner's permit ... he has been going on and on about it for years and I knew he would never do anything about it unless somebody just did it for him ... so that's what I did!!

There were 6 of us doing the course, with me being the only girl. I felt like it was going to be a bit embarassing with the guys ... men seem to have a basic instinct on how to ride motorbikes, fix cars etc. so I was feeling just a little bit nervous that if I stuffed up I'd look like an idiot!!

Anyway ... figured I shouldn't let that bother me and I just needed to go at a pace that I felt comfortable with ..... last thing I wanted to do was try and keep up and meet the bitumen!!

We got all the paperwork and VicRoads test out of the way early as everybody was pretty keen to get on the bikes. I only got 1 wrong on the written test so at that stage I was feeling pleased with myself. Then it was out to the fun/nerve wracking part of the day ... on the bikes!!

Our instructor was great .... didn't complicate things and gave us great tips and hints on what to do and definitely what NOT to do. If only I had $1 for everytime he said "where you look, your bike will go"!!

So lots of riding around and around in circles ... turning left, turning right, emergency stops, slow rides .... turning left, emergency stops, slow ride, turning right ... etc etc etc.

Anti clock wise ... clock wise .... and so forth.

At the start of the day, I couldn't turn within the lines for the left and right hand turn, but after a couple of go's at it I had that one down pretty well.

It was that jolly slow ride that was going to be the killer for me.

Before we knew it, it was time for a lunch break where the instructor (Rob) announced that on our return, we would have one last practice of everything and then it was testing time!! Amazing how a little four letter word like 'test' makes you crap your pants!!!

First and second guy went around no problems ... then it was Dad's turn. I was as nervous as he was watching him go around the track. He forgot to indicate at one stage and Rob had said that this was a big no-no and you would fail. My heart sank for a brief moment but then noticed that he was doing it again. This time the indicator went on!! Thank god for that.

In the blink of an eye dad was back with a big grin having passed his test!!!

Then it was my turn. I bravely said farewell to the boys and they wished me luck. As I slowly rode over to Rob I told myself that I could do this and had been doing it all day so it was no big deal.

Did the left and right turn fine ... then came the slow ride. Oh man ... I'm going to stuff up. Don't put your foot down ... keep looking ahead ... don't stall the bike .... don't go over the lines.... knees hugging the tank ... weight on the foot pegs ... ride the clutch .... more than 10 seconds!!! So much to think about. I could feel myself wobbling a bit as I approached the testing lines but then it seemed to go OK .. my only worry was if I did it too quickly.

But fear no more .... Rob shook my hand and congratulated me and said that I had passed.

Do you think I stopped grinning yesterday afternoon???!!!!!!

Here she is ....

2008-07-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

Picked her up at about 5:00pm tonight.

Gorgeous!!

She's arrived

2008-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Got a call from John yesterday to say that my beautiful little bike had arrived at Peter Stevens. I was going to pay her a visit (how lame am I!!!) but unfortunately too many meetings meant I couldn't get out of the office in time.

So guess what I'll be doing tomorrow morning!!! :-)))

Unfortunately we can't pick her up until John gets back and the first time he can get down there is the 4 July.... boooooooooo.

The following weekend go for my L's so hopefully by the time I can ride her, I would have read all the manuals and know how she works!!!

Excited?? You betcha'!

Aaah bugger

2008-06-16T22:01:00.003-07:00

Course apparently over booked (even though payment has been taken) so my learner's permit has been changed from 29 June to the 12 July.

Will be a ridiculously long 2 week wait!!!!

What a guy

2008-06-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

As a life long lover of motorbikes, it has always been my dream to own a bike and commute to and from work, take long rides just to have coffee and look kind of cool at the same time.

Spending a lot of time on my cousin's farm growing up, I was a bit of a tom-boy and generally spent more time on the motorbikes than in the farmhouse baking scones and doing puzzles! I had my fair share of spills but always got straight back on and even tried to take on the big boys ... failing miserably but loved every minute of trying!!

Through the years of adulthood I was always told 'girls shouldn't ride bikes' ... 'they're too dangerous' etc. so I never really did anything about it. I would drool over the bikes parked on the footpath in Melbourne and watch them as they whizzed by while I sat in the boring old car on a summer's day ... hoping that one day that would be me whizzing by.

I then met current husband (John) who bought himself a Honda CBR1000F after the divorce of his second wife. Lots of rides later only made me want a bike of my own more. But then we got serious ... we built a house .... we got married ..... and the dream of a bike was further away than it ever had been.

Until Saturday, 14 June 2008 when my dear husband woke at some ungodly hour (fairly typical of him mind you) and whispered to me that he loved me (awwww) and that's why he just bought me a Suzuki GS500F.

Having just woke and kind of still half asleep I think I allowed a small smile and said "yeah right" but he was fairly adamant that this way no dream!!

A trip later that morning to the local motorcycle place convinced me further that perhaps this just wasn't a way for him to get an early morning shag!

Since that time my excitement has grown 1,000 fold and I have spent all my time googling information about the bike, tips for new riders and read endless reports on a motorcycle forum about what to do and not to do when you first get a bike.

My learner's has been booked in for the 29 June (let's hope that I pass!!) and the beautiful shiny new bike is due to arrive next week I'm told.

I'll use this blog as a way of jotting down my rides and how badly/well I did so I learn as I go. I'm also hoping that this will give you some amusement/joy when reading about the tales of me and my new love.

Now .. the only thing to do is think of a cool name (apparently that's what everybody does .. who am I to go against the flow!!!).