Thompson’s Dam “Classic’ Sunday 29^th June, 2008

Paul Southwell (leader)	Honda CBR1000	Geoff Jones	Yamaha R1
Ken Goederee	Honda CBR1000	Peter Jones	Yamaha R1
Ron Johnston (1/3 rear)	Honda CB400F	Dave	Yamaha R1
Henry Wright and Mai	Honda CB250	Det (1^st ride)	Yamaha TDM950
Lyn Duncan (1/3 rear)	Honda XLV650	Pina Garasi (1/3 rear)	Yamaha R6
Cliff Peters	Suzuki GSXR1000	Peter Hill	KTM950
Mick Canny	Kawasaki ZX9		13 bikes, 14 people, 15 deg.

Another bloody cold morning. Alas, no rain. After a bit of confusion about the start point “Morning Peninsula” in news letter or “Yarra Glen” on the internet site, I decided to take a punt and headed off to meet the boys at Yarra Glen. Thankfully, they were there.

Peter Jones was there for the first time since the Eildon ride when he took a fall. His bike looks and sounds as terrific as ever. It was nice to see him again. There was one new face and a couple of guys we don’t see that often. Its kind off strange not to see Randal as I think he has been on nearly every ride that I have. As I had left early looking forward to an egg and bacon sandwich from the shop, I was a bit disappointed to find it shut. So much for breakfast!

After niceties and a quick briefing we headed off the back way towards Healesville, then up Chum Creek Road and down Myers Creek Road back to Healesville. I remembered going on this road before with the group and it has some grouse corners and, since it wasn’t wet, I managed to keep pace with Paul all the way through, even scraped my foot a couple of times. Apart from a couple of minor slips from the tyre, it felt quite good. Then I realised, doh! I had just fitted a new rear tire! I guess that’s one way to scrub in a tire! Twit.

We arrived at Noojee where I was looking forward to that elusive cup of tea and some food, so headed straight into the shop. The first thing I saw on the menu was a “Noojee Breakfast”. It cost a little more than I expected but it was awesome: “eggs, bacon, apple juice, tea, toast, butter”. Hmm, there is a god.

New rider Dave on his R1 had a hole in his radiator so after a bit of consulting, the rest of us headed off without him towards Moe and the Thompson Dam.

After some distance we turned right into the Hill End/Moe road and I realised we had been down this road before in the other direction. The last time I recollect dragging two bikes up the banks after spills. It starts off with lots of tight, one lane twisties with plenty of debris on the road and eventually turns into high speed, two lane, bumpy sweepers until the turn off some 40 odd kilometres away. I was going quite well. After a while Peter overtook me on his R1 on a tight right hander. I kept up his clacker for the rest of the tight stuff and had a ball, apart from a near head-on collision with an oncoming transit van mid-corner. It was great fun.

I stopped at the next intersection to corner mark and this is where I stayed for quite some time. We waited for everyone to pass through. Ron turned up without the rear rider. Ron said the last time he had seen Pina was at the Icy Creek intersection, almost back at Noojee. Peter headed back to take a look while we waited for news and riders ahead to double back. I stopped a couple of cars and asked if they had seen anything and was starting to feel a little concerned (particularly after our near miss with a transit). Finally Cliff and Geoff returned having refuelled at Tyers. They headed back to see what was going on while Ron and I headed off to Tyers for fuel and to regroup. By now most off us were low on fuel.

Eventually Cliff and Geoff came back and we found out that Pina had taken a fall and Peter was escorting her home. It was a mild relief that at least it wasn’t a bad accident.

The rest off us regrouped and, as it was now quite late, basically headed back via the Old Sale Road to the usual say-goodbye place at Longwarry North. And on to the freeway and home.

I made email contact with Pina on Monday who told me that she was okay and had taken a fall on the twisty section of the Hill End/Moe road. I felt dreadful that she was there by herself and had to pick herself up from the road and wait some twenty odd minutes before anybody came to her aid. Thankfully it wasn’t too serious but it could well have been. She must have felt quite isolated at that point in time.

This got me thinking that maybe on rides where there are long distances between turnoffs we should all wait at the next corner so that little time is lost if going back to scout becomes necessary. As motorcylists and brothers one and all, we have a responsibility to look out for each other! Amen

Ken Goederee

Email from Ben following up on Pina’s crash

Yesterday's ride.  When the rear rider crashes at the Icy Creek end of the Hill End twisties and the leader is sitting in Tyers wondering where everyone is, things are not looking good.  Pina (the rear rider) is home safe with a large bruise on her arm to show for her efforts. Bike disappeared underneath her is all she knows (probably gravel or mud). The bike went over an embankment and she was unable to physically move it, waiting for two lots of car drivers to assist. She was able to ride home slowly - no front brake lever - quite an achievement having to ride back to Noojee and Powell town tight twisties all the way back to the city.  The ride destination of Thompson Dam was abandoned at Tyers after 1.5 hours was lost.

The learning for this is that it is critical that a new rear rider is appointed as soon as possible to sweep up the corner markers, and hence for the bulk of the ride to continue.  The second thing is that the leader needs to be informed of what is going on, or even that something has happened.  Otherwise the ride collapses which is what happened yesterday. Typically this role is performed by the rear rider and when they "disappear", the worst case scenario only occurring once or twice in living memory, then clear thinking is required.

Where was Ben? At Hallam I remembered the start point was Yarra Glen and spent the rest of the day chasing the ride. As it turns out I was ahead of the ride all day, missing the group as they headed over Don Road and I waited on the outskirts of Healesville. I visited Moe, Tyers, Thompson Dam and Walhalla in search of the group, completing the ride according to the route described in the June Magazine – and then some. I thought I saw Geoff and Cliff turning left out of the Hill End road at 2.05 pm but as there were only two of them and it was impossibly late, (and the closing speeds were ... high), I thought I was mistaken.  Apparently not! The main group was still in Tyers.

Ben Warden

Email from Geoff Jones following up on Pina’s crash

I noted Ben's email about events on Paul's ride last Sunday and thought I would add my two cents worth on how the group handled Pina's off.

Pina took over as rear rider from the first stop at Noojee. The first corner markers she encountered were at the Icy Creek, Hill End intersection at the bottom of the steep hill marked by Cliff and I.

The Honda 250 rider, Henry, with pillion Mai, was setting a slow pace at the rear which was in marked contrast to the pace of the rest of the ride. It turns out that the pillion/learners ride on the day before was where they thought they were. However, Henry put in okay all day.

Cliff took off and I ended up being five riders behind Paul at the end of the road and so after dropping two pairs of corner markers, I was running with him through Yallourn North and onto the Tyers Shell fuel stop. Lyn and Peter rolled through without stopping, heading for Stratford and home. Next to arrive was the TDM and Henry on the Honda 250. All appeared OK with the ride structure at this point.

Between ten and fifteen minutes passed. I offered to go back to check as I had filled up. The pump at Noojee was without fuel, but here were jerry cans available. Back at Yallourn North I heard from Mick Canny on the ZX9 that Peter and Cliff were back-tracking as Pina had not come through. Ken and Ron were at the end of the Icy Creek road so I sent them on to Tyers and headed back up through Tanjil South, Willow Grove and Hill End to Fumina South where I met Cliff coming towards me. He let me know that Pina had crashed but was okay and that Peter Jones was accompanying her for the ride home, her bike minus front brake lever as it turns out. Cliff kept going as he was low on fuel. After I attended to a circa 1947 bladder demand, I followed, catching Cliff around Willow Grove.

On the short run to the Yallourn turn off, a CBR954, white front fairing and Ben onboard passed. I don't think I even had the presence of mind to wave as Cliff had by now locked on to the fuel at Tyers. We carried on thinking that Ben would follow. The chance to recover the ride structure was now just a short blast up the road.  Soon Paul's CBR1000 followed by the rest of the group went past in the opposite direction and then did a U turn to follow us back to Tyers.  Lots of fuel for Cliff and a top up for me as the run back had added about 100 km.

Time had ruled out the Dam visit so a rather spirited ride to Longwarry followed with Ron as rear rider and Paul keeping the ride tightly grouped by holding the hard chargers at each corner until the 250 and Ron caught up.

In my time at the Club the only similar event was Peter Philferan dropping his bike on the Wildwood road bridge while rear riding. I must admit to twice running out of fuel while at the rear. It is indeed a lonely feeling. Similarly, it must have been rather lonely for Pina after her off as the length of the road delayed the realisation that she had come to grief and the continued arrival of ride members at Tyers masked the fact.

Not sure what more could have been done but at least Peter and Cliff returned to the scene, probably a lot later than Pina would have liked.

Geoff Jones

Email from Peter Jones following up on Pina’s crash

I was the corner marker last Sunday at the end of the Hill End twisties, Ron on the CB 400 was the last bike through. He stopped and advised of his concern for Pina, expecting to see her up his clacker by now. After a reasonable wait I thought it appropriate to go back and find her. I left Ron and Ken to corner mark. On the way back I scanned the road for evidence of an accident. This is the time my demons take over and I think the worst. 

I had just passed Hill End when an R1 rode past with a pillion. I thought it may have been Geoff with Pina on the back as I didn’t remember Geoff riding past at the turn off. I turned around and made chase, catching and then finding the pillion wearing jeans.  Now realising it wasn’t Geoff and Pina I turned around to continue my search. I reached Hill End again when the reserve light came on and I was 32 km from Noojee.

I continued on eventually finding Pina about 12 km out from Noojee. Pina and the bike were both up and standing. I tried to console and help to the best of my ability, which was very limited - me lighting a cigarette and asking if she was okay was the sum of it.

She was obviously looking much better than I did when I came off. I looked at her leathers, looked at the bike and saw some cosmetic damage. Pina looked like she'd been rolling around in the dirt but with no outward signs of pain or injury.

Feeling retarded and not knowing what to do next, Cliff turned up.  He jumped off his bike and gave Pina a hug, made sure she was okay, then checked the bike, took it for a ride, came back and asked "What do you want to do?" Pina said she wanted to ride home so I said I would follow. I told Cliff I couldn’t continue the ride as I needed petrol and had to go back to Noojee. 

I told Pina I would follow her but needed to stop for petrol, when we got to Noojee. Pina said she would continue on her own. I would have followed her home if she wanted.

I stopped at the shop and was told they had no petrol left but they would go to Neerim South to get some for me. This took an hour but I was extremely grateful.

I did what I thought was right and that was to find Pina, I couldn’t continue the ride as I had no petrol. I told Cliff what I was doing and he was, (as far as I am aware) re-joining the ride.

I not sure what else I could have done.   Peter Jones

Email from Pina following up on her crash

I was always really hoping I would not be a MSR ride ‘incident’, but alas, this Sunday I was.

Before leaving Noojee to head towards Tyers, I remember saying to Paul Southwell what fun roads we had just ridden (Chum Creek, Myers, Powelltown) and it was to continue on through to Hill End via the Willow Grove-Moe Road, with me as rear rider. Well I made it as far as 14 km out of Noojee when I came upon a tight right hand corner along the twisties with me having a very inappropriate entry speed. I tried to lean the bike over and in doing so, I think I must have braked as well (although I can’t remember it). Next thing, the front end goes under, me and bike slide along the bitumen and we both tumble down an embankment and thump into a tree. I remember thinking ‘Oh… I’m alive… very good’.

Up I get and try to lift my bike but it was wedged in between two trees and on top of a rock as well. I climbed up the embankment, checked if I could use my mobile to get Paul Southwell, but no reception. I waited for someone to ride/drive past that could assist in some way. Twenty minutes later I flagged down some dirt bike riders heading back to Noojee in a van. They kindly got the bike up but when we tried to start it the throttle was stuck on fully open, so I couldn’t ride it. I thanked them and told them I would wait for one of the MSR riders to come back for me.

Fifteen minutes later, I stopped a motorist heading towards Tyers so he could let anyone corner marking further ahead know what was happening. Being a motorcyclist as well, he had a go at loosening up the throttle and managed to free it up so that I could ride the bike. Excellent!

In the meantime, Peter Jones arrived and was looking a little alarmed (I immediately thought that this must be stirring up some painful memories after his recent incident). Cliff turned up as well, and checked that the bike was okay to ride. I thanked him before he left to report back to the ride group.

Peter kindly followed me into Noojee where he stopped to get petrol. I decided to continue on home while I had the ‘strength’ to do so; I just felt that if I was to stop I might start to feel a bit ‘wobbly’ about the crash and lose my confidence to continue.

It was a bit of a slow journey back home as I had no front brake lever or right hand mirror. I was most relieved when I finally arrived.

All is good – bike is in at the repairer for an insurance quote; leathers have got a few more battle scars and me? Well, I’m a little sore, but what the hell! I still recall Marty Thompson’s wise words, delivered in a rather dry tone to me when I was ‘discussing’ (he would say ‘complaining’) about the R6 suspension, “Look mate… just toughen up and stop being a f…..g princess.” Yep, Marty, that’s what I’m doing alright!

Pina Garasi