GSXR600 Nick Casemore GSXR750 Ray Walker

ZXR750 Ben Warden RZ350 Geoff Jones (resr)

ZX7 Rhys Williams R1 Theo Kalkandis

RF900 Ian Payne R1100GS Danny Vits (leader)

FZR1000 Derek Atkinson RF900 Enzo Canico

YZF600 Mick Hanlon Diversion 900 Russell Smart

ZX900 Wayne Grant CBR600 Scott Schrieke (1^st ride)

K100RT Peter Sandars 15 bikes, 15 people

Last day of the month and no time to mull over the ride events with a view to producing a Walkley award piece. Onto the Mac and start typing, one finger of course, the facts as they tumble out and send them off via the internet to Mr. Editor, who has a list of riders and bikes, leader, rear rider, etc.

Melbourne’s weather at its best: sunny but not too hot, light wind, clear skies. You would not be dead for quids. Made for motorcycles. Just add some magic roads, stir in a mixture of bikes, some willing riders, and a leader who has put together an interesting route, and hey presto, a top day.

Danny took us from the Hallam pick-up through Woori Yalock to Noojee for morning tea, and for me, petrol, before heading south to Neerim South. Then via Crossover and Nilma, over the M1 Freeway and down to Gainsborough. We were now deep into cow country, manure crossings at every turn and always at the apex of corners, which by the way, there were heaps of, corners, that is.

Korumburra, lunch, and no "incidents" reported to me so after a leisurely break and some chat we rolled out of Korumburra and headed out of the hills and down onto the flatter country for the run to Inverloch to pick up the coast road to Cape Patterson. At the Cape we stopped and enjoyed a look at the view and felt the sea breeze as, by now, early afternoon, the temperature had risen and it was quite warm.

On the road again and as I am rear rider I wonder if the day will have some sort of "incident" to pad out the write-up. Not surprisingly, a few corners after leaving Cape Paterson I got into one (an incident): out of shape in a big way, and made a lasting impression on a couple in a white corvette coming the opposite way (from Wonthaggi). Yours truly, by now locked up and out of control, ran wide, passed the Chev on his left side, bounced off the armco, removing the front right indicator and scratched the new fairing. Realising how lucky I was, I picked up a lower gear, took a deep breath, and got on with rear riding, now on the correct side of the road. Phew!

Wonthaggi next and then north to Loch and on to Nyora to pick up McDonalds Track to Lang Lang where Danny finished the ride. All accounted for except Wayne, who had stopped in Wonthaggi to visit friends, and the gentleman on the BMW whom I missed when he did a U turn to retrieve his sunnys left at he Cape. Sorry. Ian Payne had left the ride at the Cape to check on some future holiday digs.

So thanks to Danny V. for putting together a flowing, well thought out ride through some of Victoria’s best bike roads. And thanks to the Corvette driver who missed me. Time for some corner school me thinks.

Geoff Jones (RZ358)