Around Australia with 8yo son

twowheeler

two wheels are best
We rode from Melbourne to Mt Gambier on the Great Ocean Road, stayed at Blue Lake then on to Kingston, Adelaide then up to Port Augusta.
Two problems made me decide to call it quits here.
1. The fairing of the R100RS wraps around the cylinders resulting in all the engine heat blowing onto the rider. This is nice in winter but unbearable in 45c.
2. The heat then flared up problem number 2. The bike had its 1st service a few weeks before and the BMW dealer assigned his wet behind the ears apprentice to change the oils. He drained the engine oil and the diff oil, put the plugs back in, then filled the engine oil, then went out for a smoke and moved onto the next bike. I picked it up, rode 50k and noticed a burning smell. The diff with no oil was red hot. I rang the dealer but he said it was probably just some oil spilt during service, so onwards I went. 200km up the Hume it was screaming and when I looked, the diff was actually glowing red now that it was nightime. To cut a long story short, despite many rebuilds and 'blueing' the helical gears to get them to mesh properly, he never got it right. It was still noisy and in this heat I was fearful of being stranded in the desert with a ceased up diff and vultures circling above.
The next day we caught the bus to Ayers Rock leaving the bike in the Port Augusta caravan park.
Arrived back at 2am and couldn't get bike out of the locked storage, so I used my credit card to open the door of an empty cabin, slept a few hours then limped home, sold the bike at a massive loss and bought the R1100RT from BTX in Ferntree Gully. Very good service from the mechanic there. Mick Budd? Is that his name? Long time ago.
We had now learned not to try and do the lap of the map in Summer, so we set off again on the new bike in July.
If at first you don't succeed......

Great anecdote there John :chug: .
 

John_Johnny

Long Timer



Blue Lake, Mt Gambier

Some more photos of our first attempt to "do Australia on a bike". (Bruce Spence - Stork)
There were so many things to learn, especially on the camping side.
Strangely one of my main memories of motorcycle camping in Mt Gambier was pegs. Yep, clothesline pegs. Try and hang your washing up in a caravan park and the chances of finding pegs on the line are slim. Ever the resourceful adventurer, I combed the grass and found enough peg halves and springs to make enough. Another lesson learnt was people's honesty. Put our drinks and cooler bricks in the freezer, next morning they were all gone. FFS! I can understand drunks pinching your grog due to clouded judgement but Diet Coke and freezer bricks?! I think most people in Australia, and especially the caravan park grey nomads, are honest, but there are always one or two, and that's all it takes.
We also discovered Little Blue Lake. It's roughly half way between Mt Gambier and the ocean. Very nice swimming hole. I think it's extremely deep and connects to the main Blue Lake via a network of underwater caves.
 

Paul n Dixie

Part of the furniture
It probably wasnt one of the "Grey Gonads" that pinched your stash, more likely a ring in who thought the items were "complimentary"....
Bloody annoying none the less :mad:
I see you were able to pry Trevors finger nails from the handrail he was perched on at the Blue Lake! Brave kid! perching up there :eek: :)
 

spenaroo

Just through the door
I've enjoyed reading through this thread,
to the point where I should have been asleep half an hour ago...
what a great experience for the both of you
 
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