The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: Tony Smith on December 20, 2017, 02:31:24 AM
-
Just finished the trial pack on the GSA, then took everything off ready to go round to the service station and fuel up.
I'm heading to Brisbane at 4:30am tomorrow morning, my initial goal is to make the town of Mackay, approx 750km from here, but if the heat hasn't knocked me around too much (we are having a heatwave here atm) and I arrive at Mackay before 2:00pm I will head on to Rockhampton, a further 388km away.
From past experience I want to off the Mackay/Rockhampton road before dusk when the cattle and kangarooos come out to play.
Day 2 will be to Bundaberg, which if I do make it to Rockhampton tomorrow will be an easy 1/2 day, if nott then it will be a 700km day.
Day 3 will see me in Brisbane mid morning (280km Bundaberg to Brisbane) I will have Christmas with my father and sister and do any necessary servicing on the GSA.
Boxing day I head for Canberra, whether I go inland or coastal to Sydney will depend on whether the heatwave conditions have eased or not.
I may post some photos and a bit of a travelogue but my Nexus tablet went to heaven last week and its replacement has not arrived today - my phone is not pleasant to use for YABB. I will however post to facebook in the airheads group.
To everyone, have a great Christmas, because we all own R65s we are firmly on Santa's "not naughty" list. I look forward to discussions/debates in the New Year.
And, to anyone else who is riding over the Christmas period - stay safe!
-
Safe trip Tony and Happy Holidays!
-
So it's the Naughty List that has the "Except R65" notation??
Be careful. Say hello to some of that Budaberg rum for me.
-
Looking forward to pics and your riveting dialog.
Have a great trip/adventure
-
Take care and don't run over any 'Roos!
-
Enjoy the trip Tony, it sounds wonderful. Enjoy the time with your family, be safe and Happy Christmas to you and yours.
-
Have a good trip and post if you can. It's good to read travel logs.
-
It has been pretty warm on the highways during the day with all that heat radiating off the bitumen, so good luck after Mackay. Brisbane has showers predicted for Christmas Day.
Newcastle and Tamworth were expecting up to 40 deg C recently and fire bans in the Hunter area. The inland route might be okay over the New England but I expect the western plains to be a bit warm. Maybe the coast route is a better option. I usually travel via New England route though.
If you need any parts at short notice that I may have give me a yell. I am on the south side of Brizzy just off the motorway.
Lots of fluids and safe travels Tony.
-
expecting up to 40 deg C recently
Sounds like a Texas summer!
-
Well I made it to Brisbane no problems at all, had Christmas with my Father and Sister. After Christmas I had to abandon my plans to go further South as my Father had only been released from hospital on Christmas eve, I took him to his home and looked after him until New years day and by then my best option was to come home.
Moral of the story, when you are 84 years old there are no "simple procedures" - he went in on the Monday for what was expected to be an overnight stay to have stents inserted in his heart. The procedure was slated to take 2 hours and in fact took 6, during which an artery was unfortunately punctured - not an uncommon problem but having a drain in your chest is never pleasant.
Then to make matters worse his diabetes went into bizzaro mode and his kidneys shut down (for this I suspect that the hospital did not adequately hydrate him), so the result was he didn't get released until Christmas eve and was still very shaky and frail.
To return to the trip home, I could see a developing weather pattern that was going to make travel by motorcycle fairly obnoxious - torrential rain and very high winds, so I left early on New year's day with the object of getting in front of the weather. Day one was a "leisurely' 950km mostly in 35 to 40 degree heat - I do not think I have ever drunk so much water, I drained my 2lt CamelBak twice and at one stop drank an entire 2lt bottle of water before it was my turn at the checkout to pay for it.
For Australians, day 1 was Brisbane to Mackay. Day 2 was a much more relaxed 800km as the sky was mostly heavily overcast which whilst it didn't reduce the heat much did at least keep the blasting rays of the sun off me. I had lunch with a friend in Townsville and afternoon tea with more friends in Tully, arrived home at 7:00pm.
Ate a bread roll and crashed, surfaced this morning and went looking for anti-inflammatory meds.
No photos were taken on the way home as I was focused on makking as many Ks as possible and, to be honest, I was too heat stressed.
At Rockhamption I had to sit down on the forecourt of the service station in order to avoid the bother of simply falling down. The owner came out to ask if I was OK and I replied that I'd be fine once the water I'd drunk did its job. In the meantime I asked if I could just leave the bike next tot he pump because if I tried to move it we would both end up in a heap.
The owner was fine with that and brought me out more bottles of cold water, one of which I simply poured over myself (whilst congratulating myself on remembering to take my phone out of my pocket first). Twenty minutes later I was ready to travel again, but noting the lesson I'd just been given I stopped every 120km thereafter to have a big drink of water.
If I were to write a travel dialogue it would have to be dedicated to Panadol Osteo, with assistance from Iboprofen.
On the way down after the first 100 off kilometres I was mildly guilty of not taking the R65 - not the only time I had silly thoughts. The GSA was magnificent, comfortable to a fault, long, long legs (greatest distance between fuel stops 525km Mackay north to Callipoe), used a total of 500ml of oil there and back and if I were physically up to it I could go downstairs right now and after an oil change the GSA would do the while trip again with no dramas.
Me not so much. The genesis of this trip was my looming 60th birthday and it took on something of a personal challenge. I am so glad I did it
-
To return to the trip home, I could see a developing weather pattern t
"
"After all, what is adventure, but inconvenience, properly regarded?"
C. Donahue
Glad to hear your back in the nest all safe and sound.
-
Well done, I would have never made it.
-
Well done, I would have never made it.
And I am NEVER doing that trip again in summer or more than 600~700km per day - EVER!
-
Glad you made it through in one piece, Tony, and that your Father survived his ordeal.
-
Ok, I didn't take very many photos at all, but here are some random ones.
The first is just after arrival at my Father's house, sadly at the time my task was to put the bike away, shower, find some food then see which of his vehicles would start and drive down to the hospital to see him.
The next is the view from the front deck, and the last is from a small park I stopped in when 75% of the way home (Ayr for those in Australia), as soon as I sat down the black cockatoos mugged me for food, interestingly I think the local kids have been mistreating them because as long as my hands were either under the table or had food in them the cockies were happy to fly onto the table and eat, but as soon as I picked up my phone to take a photo they flew 20ft away.
-
Tony, what is your viewpoint on oilhead bikes, now that you have some experience on one ??
-
Tony, what is your viewpoint on oilhead bikes, now that you have some experience on one ??
Best thing since sliced bread! What an incredible machine, the distances it can cover and the comfort when doing so are an absolute mind bend.
With one minor sticking point. Until I came home I'd never ridden it on a really, really hot day. The heat coming off the cylinders and into my feet and shins was that only time I've ever found the heat of a boxer unpleasant, that and the heat blasting up between the instruments and fuel tank from the oil radiator.
I suspect that was a byproduct of what was probably a 40 degree day anyway as I rode yesterday and didn't notice either then.
-
Just remember that 60 is the new 40 and you can put in a lot more mile, excuse me kilometers.