Loch                    Sunday March 6th, 2005

 

Kawasaki ZX12R             Paul Grosser (leader)                        Harley Buell                 Nigel Hellyer

Honda CBR600 Hornet  Geoff Ross                             Yamaha R6                 Joel Haley (rear)

Honda CBR900                      Breht Emmerson                    BMW R1100GS            Shane Hindle

Suzuki GSXR1000                  Lynn Duncan                         7 bikes, 7 people

 

Just made it. Most people already had their helmets on. They waited for me to fuel up. Sorry, and thanks for waiting. Paul Southwell was chatting to Joel. Paul had just got off the ferry from the Tassie trip this morning. I thought he said the last couple of days in Tassie were wet and he didn’t feel like riding in any more rain. He was right: riding conditions, once we started riding on what would have been joyful roads, were today, quite atrocious. The storms through the day before had left crap from the trees and washed gravel across the road. A little bit of road works gravel thrown in and raining too!

 

I swapped to my clear visor and things didn’t seem so bad! By this time we had gone through `toon towns alongside the Highway, crossed over at Longwarry to Labertouche, Jindavick and Neerim South. Then back through Brandy Creek to Drouin for smoko.

 

The weather was so bad I thought the ride was going to be altered, but south of Drouin turned out to be the best part of the ride, apart from the wind. Everyone else noticed the wind but Paul didn’t seem to mind it. Finally we had dry roads. What a blast!

 

We refuelled at Loch after 180 km, but didn’t stop. Keep going while the roads are dry was the theory. Paul took us on grouse little figure eight circuit to Ryanston, Glen Alvie, St Hellier and back to Loch, all on dry roads. No wonder I get confused in Gippsland. The road conditions varied greatly, from smooth, wide sweepers to tight bumpy twisties. Great views of the ocean. Lunch back at Loch after a further 120 km. 

 

After a leisurely lunch  we headed another 60 km straight up the main drag to Drouin where we broke up and headed back the Princes Highway to reach home after another 120 km of dead boring painful highway.

 

Bad news later. Breht sent me a text message saying he had been booked for 90 km/h in a 60 km/h zone, while overtaking a horse float. One month suspension, 4 points and $270. “Crap.”

 

Thanks guys for a great day.

 

Lynn Duncan (Suzuki GSXR1000)