Sunday 20 April 2008

Twelve Apostles Autumn Run



Marty & I took a run down to the 12 Apostles on a magnificient still Autumn day. It was all blue sky after a cool start and then warmed up to about 22C - just perfect. I will let the pictures do the talking!

Hot chocolates at Gellibrand. The Gellibrand store has become a favorite stop of ours.


Various shots around the Apostles.



Back to Geelong via Colac - stopped for a drink in the main street. Here's Marty

Sunday 13 April 2008

Short ride Sunday

I met up with Marty at 9.15am Sunday and we headed for the hills in overcast conditions. After a stop and a magnificent hot chocolate at the Gellibrand store we headed for Lavers Hill, but pretty soon it got misty and damp. By Ferguson it was raining, so uncharacteristically, we turned around rather than "tip toe" through these winding roads in such slippery conditions. Back at Gelli there were some classic bikes - the best of which were a R90S BMW and a Vincent HRD.





I decided on a pit stop at the Otway Estate winery, where we ended up having bacon & eggs for lunch. As much as we both would have loved a Prickly Moses beer or a glass of Cab Sav we make it a rule never to drink and ride. The staff here are fantastic and really made us feel welcome. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Steve & Helen's in Colac, then made a quick run via the Cape Otway Road back to Geelong.


All up approx 250 ks and the new suspension on the VFR felt great.

Friday 11 April 2008


Last week I collected the VFR from Promecha in Springvale having had the suspension tweaked. At 43,000 k's it was time for some freshening up. The front forks were re-sprung with K-Tech springs specifically for my weight, an anti-dive circuit added, and the fork seals replaced. The rear shock was dismantled, converted into a re-buildable shock, re-valved, and the standard spring replaced with an Eibach spring matched to my weight. Although Ohlins are generally regarded as the holy grail of motorcycle shockers, it is worth noting that they DO NOT manufacture springs themselves. From the research I've done it seems that Eibach & Ohlins springs come from the same factory and are just badge engineered.

I'm hoping to go for a run tomorrow to see how it feels and maybe make any necessary adjustments. I was also after a new Michelin Pilot Road 2CT for the front, but Peter from Road & River tells me that he has none in stock & can't get any at present.