Part 1-Roarin's east coast petrol station tour

R

roarin

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Allrighty then -where do I start? Well about 2 weeks ago (this was actually about 6 months ago now) the opportunity to get myself & a bike to Brisbane presented itself.

So as any self respecting motorcyclist would do, the boss was informed that my good self would be absent for a week & a 1/2. This was mentioned at a particularly busy part of the day & was accompanied by a mumbled "okay" & promptly forgotten. Beauty.
Righto -what bike do I take.

Good judgement suggested my '95 VFR 750 -perfect for such a trip. But when does good judgement form part of a motorcyclists thought proccess? Not in this ones head. So what did I take? My '93 VFR400R. Uncomfortable? Yes -makes a Ducati feel like a lounge chair. Short fuel range? Yes. Hard to get spare parts for? Yes. Centre stand -in case of punctures? No. Luggage carrying ability? None. Fun to ride? Hell yes. Has me giggling like a school girl every time I go near it.

Perfect. Settled. Order new set of tyres. Change oil, filters, coolant, brake fluid. Replace a couple of perished looking fuel & vacuum lines. Check wheel bearings, brake pads, chain & sprockets. Okay, we're as ready as we'll ever be.

Sunday morning 2 weeks later finds myself & Skuffy waiting at a petrol station in Brissy for St. Simon -or was it the other way round. (persons mentioned here are members of the netrider site) Anyway we got underway at around 1/2 seven & headed for "the gap" Hooked up with dan there & off we went for a lap of the famous "block".

First off, to set things straight -the weather up there is tops. Warm, dry & sunny. In the middle of winter. Just like the add's say. Honest. They're not lying. Well not for the week I was up that way anyway.

Okay then, where was I? Thats right, the block. Off we go up Samford road heading for Dayboro. Climbing up & over a few ridges through some sweeping corners. Hey this isn't too bad. Not as twisty as I thought it might be. Nice smooth & dry roads but. Anyhow we get to Dayboro, turn north & headed towards D'Aguilar.

Oh my god. I think I've died & gone to heaven. The road instantly turns into a never ending set of 50km/hr or less marked corners as we start to climb up Mt Pleasant & then Mt Mee. The 400 is in its element. Howling through the corners on its ear, standing on its nose as we tip into corner after corner.

Damn this is fun. I knew I brought the 400 for a reason. I'm giggling like that schoolgirl again. Stop at the top to regroup. Inspect tyres. Chicken strips -what the hell are they? Off we go again.

As we head down the other side we come accross a couple of fire trucks & officers of the law. Then a tray truck with a mangled bike on it. Apparently one of the Overcrashers, I mean overclockers had come to grief earlier that morning. Later heard he wasn't badly injured.

Started to feel peckish so we stopped at Kilcoy for brekky. Steak, eggs, chips etc.etc. Look for petrol station. And we're off again.

More sweeping corners & straights as we head towards Somerset Dam. Then all of a sudden, nirvana. No, not the band but corners. Lots of them. Tight ones, tighter ones & long never ending ones. One after the other. That bl@@dy school girl is back in my helmet again. Corners that seem to go on for ever. Brake, fling the bike on its side & just crack the throttle to settle it. Wider, wider -roll off a fraction to tighten the line, on it again for what seems like for ever until you hit the apex, then see the exit & pin it to the stop. Banging up through a gear or two till the next & start all over again.

I think this must be what they call paradise. Regroup at the Mt Glorious/Nebo turnoff. As a motorcyclist I couldn't think of better name for it. Glorious that is.

We're off again. Climbing, climbing & leaning round these corners that you swear are going to end up back where you started untill all of a sudden you flick to the other side & start all over again. This goes on for mile after mile.

Did I mention I was having fun? Finally make the summit & wind our way down the other side back to the gap servo right back where we started.

Refuel & dan starts talking about heading down the coast to Mount Tamborine. Head off down the Pacific Hwy to Yatala. Stop to refuel again & hook up with Tanyathecheeky. Kick back & soak up some UV's. Skuffy starts sooking about skin cancer & a burnt neck so dissappears looking for some sunscreen. Comes back with some suspicuos looking white cream & seems a bit too eager in my opinion to start rubbing it onto anyone half willing to accept his alledged generosity. I'll pass thanks.

Tanya turns up & we're off again. Up & over Mt Tamborine, accross the back of Nerang past Natural Bridge & find our way onto some of the coolest back roads on route to Murwillumba. Some real narrow bits where you have to ease right off then all of a sudden it opens up & you can see a few corners ahead & get stuck right into it again.

About 3/4 of the way there I get some stupid idea that I'm about to run short of fuel so have to knock the throttle off & curtail the fun. Well, a little bit anyway. Then again probably not that much at all come to think of it.

Refuel, talk some shit & decide on a route back to Brissy. I'm all for heading back the way we came but the others pointed out that the light may beat us so a trip up the Freeway is in order. A bit of lane splitting is in order along with a couple of roll on drag races.

Everyone peels off to thier respective destinations & we are back in Brissy again. 600kms for the day. Did I mention it was fun? Ahh well, one day down, 5 more to go as it turned out. But thats another story. For another day. Or 3.

Cheers Andrew

Moving on:

http://www.austouring.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=245#245
 
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