Kinglake Ride Sunday 9^th March, 2003

I wake up Sunday morning. Very overcast in Chadstone. This isn’t looking good. I opened the garage door and the Sex Toy is glistening and waiting for its next outing, “Looks like you’re going to get dirty today, dear.”

I started the toy and the vibration and sound was a lot louder than normal. The clamp that holds my new exhaust system is loose and the toy is sounding like a top V8 fuelster drag car (sounds almighty). Retighten and I am on my way.

I fill toy at $1.10 a litre at the local Caltex and realised I am glad I’m selling the beast (XE351 V8 four speed) with price of petrol these days.

The weather is getting darker as I travel up Springvale Road and I am thinking there is not going to be too many people turn up today. The weather turned nasty at Warrandyte. I pulled into the local bus stop and put on my wets and started to recollect Christmas time at the Club Camp when the Club rode through the Antartic blizzard at Hotham. I felt like Sir Edmund Hillary reaching the pinnacle at Everest when I reached Harrietville that day – toughest ride I have ever done (even tougher than riding the FJ1100 from King Street to Queen Street after blowing the motor on the way to trade it in!)

I continued on and the rain kept coming down. I arrived at Yarra Glen at 10 o’clock and sat down outside the Original Café and waited for any other riders on this very wet GP morning. First time rider Steve Kendall arrived at 10.25 am an a BMW K1100 (it looked like an ex-cop bike). He got info about the Club off the internet. He asked for information about the Club and the sort of rides we go on and seemed to be a very keen rider.

Paul Southwell also rolled up on a new Honda Fireblade. I must admit his bike does look very horny (not as horny as the Sex Toy with its yellow headlight protector riding down Chapel St on a Saturday night) but that’s my opinion. Paul told me he had been on four rides with the Club and he also seemed like a very keen rider. I told them about the Snowy Mountain Highway trips the Club does, and how I felt these weekends were the best road riding adventures in Australia.

We chatted and chatted till 11 o’clock when I gave Steve and Paul three options because it was still raining. Option one: Do the ride I planned but be very careful because the roads will be slippery. Option two: Ride to Yea and have a counter lunch and hopefully the weather would clear. Option three: Go home and watch the Adelaide GP on TV in they’re nice, dry lounge room with a six pack and some barbeque shapes and a nice packet of Henri Winterman Café de Cruise cigars.

Its funny how Steve and Paul took option three. I thought I sold Option 1 to the best of my ability but I had to go with the majority and option three won. So the ride was cancelled due to bad weather.

I arrived home at 12.30 pm and gave the Sex Toy a quick wash. I then sat down in the loungeroom with my Boags lager and Henri Winterman’s cigars and wondered how the members were doing crossing Bass Straight on a wet and windy day.

Bruce Saville (Honda VFR800)