TarSnakes

I've moved

2011-09-11T08:28:00.001+10:00

Tarsnakes motorcycle touring has moved to:

http://tarsnakes.com.au/

See you there!

Oomoo light

2011-08-20T18:34:00.007+10:00

Back in 2004 Andy devised a weekend route that was suitable for some old, old motorcycles. It came to be named the Oomoo Run, after a new release red wine that we (over) imbibed in with dinner that night. The Oomoo run was repeated again in 2005 & 2006.

Today I rode the first part of that route as we had yet another magnificent winter's day. I procrastinated (which is quite acceptable for a 'West Coast Procrastinators' old boy) whether to go a little further inland, which I then commenced to do - only to bail out after riding a section of around 5 kms of gravel road works with no end in sight. You will see from some of the pics that Spring is just around the corner here.

Firstly I headed from Geelong to Ballarat - a pretty boring road. Then skirted around Ballarat and headed through some tiny townships like Ross Creek, Snake Valley and Cargnham. From the mullock heaps it's obvious that these were once thriving gold mining towns back in the late 1800's, now there's virtually nothing there.

Didn't see any!

The shot below is a redux of a pic taken in the same spot 7 years ago, then featuring my CBR600

2004 pic

There were some places that I wanted to stop and take some pics, like the dead fox hanging from a road sign and the tiny, sad war memorial in Snake Valley, however, I wasn't game enough to pull off the asphalt as the the roadsides were very soft and boggy due to all the recent heavy rain.

Beaufort is a small town on the Western Highway that most folk drive through on the way to Adelaide, the Grampians, or the vineyards further on down the road, however, it really is an attractive, well maintained little place.

Shot of the day!

Beaufort War Memorial

Beaufort Vic

Beeac war memorial

Just a part of the route

I headed down Colac way as well, then home to Geelong. All up, 396 kms for the day and home by 3 pm.

Balmy winters day

2011-07-31T18:58:00.003+10:00

I'd been hoping for a ride this weekend. Saturday turned out to be as forecast - rain and clearing showers. Sunday was forecast to be cloudy with an unlikely temp of 18C. So I couldn't believe my eyes Sunday morning when I awoke to glorious sunshine with barely a cloud in sight. It was too good not to ride so I took a short run in what turned out to be beautiful weather conditions considering that it's winter here. My route was Geelong to Forrest, then Beech Forest via Turton's (treacherous) Track, Gellibrand, then I skirted around Colac and headed home. It was around 6C when I left at 9.30am and an incredible 20C when I got home in the early afternoon.

The ZX14 in front of the Forrest microbrewery

Only hot chocolate for me though!

Less than 5 months till Christmas.

At the West Barwon dam

Lovely spot for a BBQ or picnic, but virtually deserted today.

Turton's Track

Ford Focus turbo club gathering at Beech Forest.

I stopped at Gellibrand for a drink and talked to some fellas who'd been mountain bike riding along the Old Beechy rail trail and were absolutely coated in mud.

After a short break at 'Gelli' I headed straight home as I had chores awaiting me. All in all, an unexpected and enjoyable day of riding in unseasonably balmy conditions.

Vale Ken Wootton

2011-07-26T23:12:00.002+10:00

mcnews.com.au and Fox Sports are carrying the story of the death of Ken Wootton in his sleep at the age of 57 last Sunday whilst holidaying in Czechoslovakia .

The long time editor of Australian Motorcycle News (AMCN) Ken was an iconic figure in Australian motorcycling journalism. Over the years I've greatly enjoyed his motorcycle test reports, annual touring stories and race reports, as well as his track side commentary at various Phillip Island motorcycle races.

Ride on Ken Wootton.

Two Nortons & a Suzi

2011-07-23T16:22:00.004+10:00

Will the novelty of a new motorcycle to ride wear off? I guess so, but not enough yet to stop me riding in some cold winter weather!

I took a run from Geelong to Colac, then Ballarat then home to Geelong. Temps ranged from 4C when I left to 9.9C when I got home. The connecting theme for today was old mates and their restoration projects.

First project was Steve's Norton Dominator (his road ride is a black Commando).

Hours of work on the lathe goes into fabricating lots of new parts on a job like this.

Next project saw me take a quick trip on deserted winter roads from Steve's to Andy's place in Ballarat (a place not known for warmth!) to see Andy's recently purchased T250R Suzuki Hustler and the beginning of what he calls a 'birthday' for his Commando Fastback - new isolastics, a belt primary drive, lots of stainless nuts & bolts and a whole lot more.

Lots of happy memories from our teenage years when Andy had one just like this.

Andy bought a Hustler as his first legal road bike not long after I first met him around 40 years ago. It did everything from get him to work in Melbourne everyday to riding the GOR on the weekends. You wouldn't think that you could carry a box with a dozen long neck bottles of beer on a tank that small would you?

Less happy are places like this. A once bustling center of motor vehicle and British motor cycle repairs and service, in a town that barely exists now.

Winter sun

2011-07-16T16:32:00.003+10:00

Marty & I took a run to the 12 Apostles today. It was 6C when we left after an overnight low of 0C. It probably didn't get an warmer than 13C anywhere on our route, but we were dressed for the cold and had an enjoyable day's riding.

I only took a couple of shots of the motorcycles parked in Port Campbell as I have dozens of pics of the 12 Apostles area in the camera already!

It was my first time out with the new mufflers on the ZX14 and they sound great, without being too loud.
The roads were mostly dry but there is an enormous amount of water lying about the roadsides and in the paddocks.

We wound up doing 341 kms for the day which is good for a day trip in the middle of winter here.

Megacycle slip ons

2011-07-10T17:43:00.003+10:00

I recently took a run down to Megacycle engineering in the Melbourne suburb of Keysborough to get a set of slip on mufflers fitted. These are built from scratch by the owner Ken Onus and he likes to have the bike there and fit them virtually as he builds them. Megacycle engineering is an old school engineering works, that builds specialty motorcycle exhaust systems. It's winter Down Under and it was a cold 6C when I left home and was raining for much of the run down there. Ken wanted me there by 7.30am, which meant a 5.30am ish start for me if I wanted to avoid the Westgate Bridge bottleneck. As it was I got there at 7.00am.
Pic below shows a bleak morning.

Here is the finished product in stainless steel. The bike's EFI can adjust OK and there is no need for a Power Commander or suchlike to get it running OK.

And the sound - a lovely burble that's not too loud or intrusive. Also the oval shaped pipes look much less bulky than the big round standard pipes.

Ken is the only person I've ever met in Oz who has raced at the IOM - with some success actually.
Ken Onus IOM

Pics

Protective clothing study

2011-07-04T18:35:00.002+10:00

Below is a link to a comprehensive Australian study of motorcycle protective clothing and associated injury reduction. I recommend that you read it and I'm sure that different aspects will have significance for different riders.

Overall it's reinforced my belief in "All the gear all of the time" (ATGATT) and that jackets with armor were genuinely helpful at reducing injury (hardly a surprise but nice to see some science supporting the contention) The amount of protective clothing that 'failed' in some way is cause for concern.

READ THIS for all of the detail.

Ride safe!

Mild winter day

2011-07-02T19:40:00.004+10:00

Unbelievably it was 17C and sunshine today, though a strong blustery wind was a little disconcerting. I did a quick solo run from Geelong to Beech Forest via Colac, then down Turton's Track (very greasy conditions) then back to Geelong via Forrest and Dean's Marsh.

Congratulations to Paul & Maria for 10 years (today) of constant improvement to this general store in Gellibrand. This pic doesn't do justice to the place. The quality of Paul's workmanship in restoring the interior is excellent.

I parked, got a hot chocolate - but the whole time I felt I was being watched!

A hah - I was being watched after all.

More wet tarsnakes

2011-06-25T18:45:00.002+10:00

The shortest day of the year has passed, work has been demanding and it was time for Marty and I to take some motorcycle therapy.The road through the Otways were pretty treacherous in places, lots of mulched leaves and bark on the road and water lying across shaded corners - but what else can you expect in the middle of winter? Well at least it wasn't raining here, as it was for the warm up for MotoGP in Assen - and it's summer there! Temps somewhat comparable too.

Here's some pics & I will post a few more words later.

First stop - the Gellibrand store

The recently installed hugger is clearly not very effective.

Marty has a little bit of pastie with his sauce!!

A blatant rip off. Avoid refueling at Apollo Bay if possible

A post ride debrief in sunshine on the outskirts of Geelong. 315kms of safe, sometimes challenging & enjoyable riding

Chasing tarsnakes in the winter rain

2011-06-04T18:53:00.002+10:00

The sky was blue and it looked like a perfect winter's day for a ride. The sunshine only lasted around 80 kms and the next 90 kms or so were done in in cold wintery conditions, only to fine up again for the final 30 kms home.

I actually found it immensely satisfying piloting the big Kwaka, with around 170 hp on tap at the rear wheel, in such challenging conditions.

Today's circuit was from Geelong to Lavers Hill via Colac, then along the inland part of the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay. The final section was from Apollo Bay to Geelong via Lorne and Deans Marsh - a bit of a mistake in some ways as the GOR was quite slippery due to road construction and some small diesel spills - neither of which were pleasant in the rain! In Lorne I came across three motorcycle cops stopping traffic for random license checks. The fella who pulled me over was obviously a motorcycle enthusiast and we had quite a pleasant chat about motorcycling, Michelin tyres and the glory days of riding the GOR before there were 80 kph speed limits and double white lines. He made no secret of the fact that they were out to target motorcycles and that they were having a slow day - the posers tend not to ride the GOR in the rain!

I must say that the sight of a tiny little girl in her pink bicycle helmet perched up on one of the cop bikes whilst her proud Dad to a photo was just priceless. It would have been a great PR shot for Victoria Police.

Here's a few pics taken during the occasional sunny breaks.

First stop at Gellibrand

Flowers by donation - you know that you're out in the country.

You can't see it but this is a pic of a ship out in the ocean near Apollo Bay!

Dirty Ninja

Cleaning those mufflers is going to be fun!

It was good to have a dry road for the last 30 kms to home.

Great art on the school kids' bus shelter

The last of autumn

2011-05-21T20:06:00.008+10:00

The weather has been atrocious over the past few weekends. And I have a near new motorcycle in the garage begging to be ridden! We've been experiencing an early winter pattern over the past couple of weeks and it looked like autumn was over. In any event, Marty and I had resolved to ride today even though the forecast was for very strong winds.

Here's our route for the day.

Well we got lucky, a glorious autumn day emerged and we headed for the hills. The ZX14 still has the original Bridgestone BT014 tyres on it, which with 2,000kms on them feel like Michelin Pilot Road 2s with about 10,000kms on them. I plan to correct this in the next week and have some new PR2s ready to be fitted and some nice Ariete 90 degree valve stems to make life easier when it comes to pumping up the tyres.
The other changes to the big Ninja are that it now has a Radguard radiator guard fitted and a new Ventura rack system. I've just got the short rack option fitted for day trips and have the large rack to fit when touring time comes.

I'm currently researching various 'slip on' after market mufflers, but haven't made any decisions yet. I will most likely go for duel 'slip ons' rather than a full system as I don't want to have the hassle and expense of a Power Commander as needed with a full system. Also my insurer doesn't seem to mind what slip on mufflers I get and classify them as an accessory, whereas they regard a full system as a 'modification'. I'm leaning toward stainless steel rather than carbon fiber but haven't settled on any particular brand.

We stopped for drinks at Gellibrand, then headed for Beech Forest (where the sun was all wrong for the photos I wanted to take!). Turton's track was covered in wet leaf litter and bark so we had to tippy toe gently through there. When we hit the Apollo Bay - Forrest Rd we turned left and headed for Forrest. Most of the corners were shaded and quite damp in spots so we took it pretty easy.

The microbrewery at Forrest was our next stop then we headed down to Colac to see Steve's progress on his Norton Dominator resto. I took some pics of the Domi, but somehow I've stuffed up and can't access them from the camera's memory card!

From Steve's place it was a quick run back along the Princes Hwy to Geelong. The ZX14's low fuel light was flashing about 30 kms from home - hell that's 21 litres for only 270kms. I'm hoping the fuel consumption improves as the motor gets run in (it just ticked over 2,000kms on it today). I know my mate Bill's ZX14 will easily get into the low 300 kms out of a tank full even with quite spirited riding.

ANZAC Day ride & the best hamburger ever

2011-04-25T19:22:00.007+10:00

Mrs Tarsnakes & I took off from sunny Geelong (80 km from Melbourne, Vic) around 10.00 am this morning, but before long we were riding in moderately thick fog, so I decided to stick to the Princes Hwy, rather than the back roads.

Here's our route

We called in at S & H's near Colac and spent some time there before 'heading for the hills', fortunately in sunshine. Our lunch destination was the tiny town of Beech Forest, (population 100) high in the Otway Ranges rainforest.

During the 5 weeks we spent in the USA last year I had a secret mission (my mission was to keep it secret from Mrs Tarsnakes) to sample a significant number of American hamburgers, which are to the citizens of the US kinda like meat pies are to us here. The two equal finalists in the US could not have been further apart in style, one in an iconic greasy diner in New York (Big Nick's hamburger joint), the other a classy, expensive restaurant overlooking Lake Tahoe, in California.

But who would have thought that THE BEST HAMBURGER EVER, was right here in Oz - and at a tiny country cafe in the Otway Ranges! OK, just take a look at the pic below

Lean beef, stacks of tasty non-greasy bacon and all fresh, organic grown ingredients - a magnificent burger.

All this was enjoyed in the sunshine from the outdoor deck looking out over the Otways. The 22,000 plus people who've read this blog know how rare it is for me to endorse any business - but the Ridge Cafe at Beech Forest, just near the Otway Fly tourist attraction really deserves it.

Mrs Tarsnakes' vegie pie was sensational as well.

Out on the deck

A pensive Mrs Tarsnakes

The grim one with an uncharacteristic smile - it must be that new motorcycle!

The big Kawasaki performed beautifully two-up. A short 250 km run today and 1,500 kms on the clock when we got home.

Leaving 'The Ridge'.

We Aussies are free to enjoy a great country and lifestyle because of the sacrifices of others. Today is ANZAC Day, a day on which there are civic marches in the capital cities and little country towns. I guess it tells you something about Aussies that this day was originally established to commemorate a massive military defeat, despite immense bravery and loss of life on the beaches of Gallopili in Turkey.

My late father served in the Australian Infantry Force during WWII. As I sit here looking at his military documents I still cannot fathom the enormity of his deprivations as he spent a total of 1,558 days fighting on foreign soil in the Middle East (against the Germans) and New Guinea (against the Japanese with our US allies), of his total 1,937 days as a member of the 'Australian Imperial Force'. I'm amazed at what a gentle, wise and humble father he was given the horrors that he took part in. (And amazed he would ride pillion on my Vespa scooter sometimes when I was a boy!).

I've enjoyed this ANZAC day out riding and dining, however, I've tried not forget those whose suffering made this liberty and lifestyle possible; especially my own Dad who survived, and uncle Terry, who lost his life as a POW of the Japanese.

There are great men on all sides of conflict. I'm always greatly moved by the lack of rancor illustrated by the words of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), who commanded the Turkish counter attack against the ANZACS at Gallopili, and then later as president of Turkey, penned a tribute to the fallen ANZACS (Aussies and the New Zealanders) - his enemies.

It reads thus:

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us. Where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours … You mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away the tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace after having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well.”

Derek Trucks: one of the guitar greats

2011-04-23T08:01:00.004+10:00

Although this is a motorcycle blog, I have to make an exception and mention the brilliant Tedeschi-Trucks Band gig at the Palace Theatre in Melbourne that we attended last night. I'm lost for superlatives to describe how good they were and the brilliance of Derek Trucks' guitar playing. We heard our favorites such as 'Midnight in Harlem', 'Any Day','Bound for Glory' and a heap of tracks from their forthcoming album 'Revelator'. (Our favorites were songs we'd seen them play on the various Eric Clapton "Crossroads" Festival DVD's). Their encore number was a superb version of 'Space Captain' (Original by Leon Russell & Joe Cocker). Susan T's soulful vocals were stunning and she's become an extremely skillful guitarist in her own right.
The support act was the 'Robert Randolf Family Band' a group well worth seeing in their own right!

More tour dates at the Tedeschi-Trucks website HERE.

ZX14 is due for first service & another Ninja

2011-04-17T21:00:00.007+10:00

First off, congratulations to my mate Peter on the purchase of his new ZX14 - in red. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Little did I know that this would be the result when Pete looked over my day old Ninja a fortnight ago!

Pete aboard his new ZX14

In the two weeks I've had the ZX14 I've managed to clock up 1,000 kms and so it's ready for its first service. I want to get it serviced this week so that we have the option of doing some rides over Easter if the weather's OK.

I rode solo through the Otways yesterday in fairly cool conditions. The roads were quite damp - wet in the shady spots, so I took it pretty easy. After around 250 kms through the Otway Ranges I wound up at Steve's and we had a very pleasant 'arvo sitting in his shed talking bikes, blues and more bikes! The sun came out for an uneventful run back home from Colac.

Marty joined me today, on what turned out to be a magnificent Autumn day. We left Geelong around 9.30am, it was 13C and cloudy. It actually got cooler in the foothills of the Otways as we approached our first stop at Gellibrand. We were there no time and the sun came out and pretty soon an hour had slipped by as we sat in the sun and chatted to the store's owner (and KTM rider) Paul. As you can see from the pic below there was not much doing in downtown Gellibrand on a Sunday morning!

We were more focussed on riding than stopping for pics, so here's two more of the motorcycles in 'Gelli'.

We had an excellent run along the GOR to Apollo Bay and likewise back inland via Forrest. I thoroughly enjoyed both rides and I'm very pleased with my choice of new motorcycle based on it's first 1000kms.

Did I mention that there is only one gas station in Apollo Bay? Consequently I paid $1.64 per litre (that's around $6.23 per US gallon) for premium unleaded, making it the most expensive petrol I've ever purchased, even though Apollo Bay is only 190 kms (approx 120 miles) from Melbourne!

This coming week we're attending two highly anticipated concerts on in Melbourne. Wednesday night we're seeing the Blind Boys of Alabama (with Aaron Neville) and Good Friday night it's the Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks Band. I can't wait!

First run on the new Ninja ZX14

2011-04-09T15:52:00.006+10:00

We've had a week of near perfect Autumn weather, but as fate would have it the forecast for today was 27C, strong winds and an early afternoon thunderstorm. I've been itching to get a feel for how this motorcycle performs in the twisty stuff.

Despite the forecast I took off around 9.00am and took the run we did with the girls on board a couple of weeks ago, only in reverse direction. My only stops were for photos at Otway Estate vineyard and Beech Forest and for a drink and a brief chat with Paul at the Gellibrand store. Although quite warm, the sky was looking very threatening by the time I hit the Otway Ranges. Wet, windy roads was not what I wanted with an unfamiliar bike and nearly 200hp on tap!

'User friendly' is an over used term, however, it genuinely sums up how I found the big Ninja ZX14 on its first run in the real world. It tracked beautifully through the corners and was never a handful even on the very slow speed corners along Turton's Track. I love the turbine smooth engine and I really felt that all the horsepower that's on tap is be delivered in a very controllable way.

All up this run was 250 kms of very satisfying riding, made all the better by getting home ahead of the rain!

National Heritage Listing of the Great Ocean Road

2011-04-08T07:03:00.006+10:00

The Great Ocean Road (GOR) was yesterday given a National Heritage Listing. This incredible piece of road starts about 20 minute's ride form where I live.

READ THIS from the Geelong Advertiser

It has been a mecca for Aussie motorcyclists over the years, though with it's 80 kph (50mph) speed limit and heavy policing of motorcyclists (it's not stretching things to say that it borders upon harrassement) these days that there's not a whole lot of enjoyment to be had in riding the section between Torquay and Apollo Bay. For those in the USA, much of the GOR could be mistaken for The Big Sur in CA and Hwy 1 Shoreline Dve north of San Francisco.

It is well worth remembering that the Great Ocean Road is actually a war memorial.

I have many, many happy teenage memories that were set in the context of the GOR - many of them involve motorcycling. Some images only exist in my mind, but are triggered by words such as - Crawford's Pacific Hotel, New Year's Eve at Lorne, Suzuki 250 Hustler, CB750 Honda, McRae's Z900, "a man's a fool", Suzuki 'Waterbottle', Z1R Kawasaki, cosmic blue EH Holden and of course being one sleeping bag short!

Here's my quick pictorial tribute to the GOR - including a couple of old shots scanned from prints.

That cosmic blue 1964 Holden & a bunch of 1970's guys!

Some of the GOR runs inland and it's every bit as pretty as the shoreline section.

Pacific Hotel Lorne

Arab Cafe Lorne Vic

Kawasaki ZX14

2011-04-02T13:50:00.001+11:00

The procrastination has come to an end and we bought a new Kawasaki Ninja ZX14. A few posts down I ruminated about whether to go with my head or my heart when choosing a new motorcycle. In the end I'd like to think it was a bit of both. I decided on the bigger Kawasaki. I got a great deal from Peter Stevens Motorcycles in Elizabeth St Melbourne. The whole deal was transacted over the 'phone and today was the first time I actually saw 'my' motorcycle.

Around 9.30 am on the showroom floor in Elizabeth St.

Through the city and a short run down the radar infested freeway and she was home.

Whose got a big grin?

Think I will have to hide the keys though!

It now has 92 kilometers on the clock!

Autumn to the max

2011-03-20T16:47:00.003+11:00

Today the Tarsnakes and the O's took a run in exceptional autumnal (that's Fall for those of you in the US) conditions. We repeated the route that I took yesterday, but had a couple more stops, including the Forrest Brewing Co for a morning tea stop and Otway Estate for lunch. Despite stopping at two breweries we didn't touch a drop - as is our 'policy' when motorcycling.

We were pulled over by a very nice fella from the Highway Patrol, who checked our licenses -AND - the Australian Standards compliance stickers on our helmets, which is a first in my lifetime of riding.

I will let the pics do the talking.

Pauline & Dorothy

Marty at our morning stop at Forrest

The Tarsnakes

Pauline gearing up at Beech Forest

Entertainment during lunch

Pauline and Marty at Otway Estate vineyard

It was sunny and around 25 C the whole day - just perfect!

Tire break in

2011-03-19T22:56:00.008+11:00

I took a shortish run today for the purpose of breaking in my new front tire. It was quite cool and very overcast when I left but slowly and surely the weather improved over the course of the day.

My route was from Geelong to Forrest, then along Turton's Track to Beech Forest, down to Gellibrand and continue on to Colac to visit to Steve, then back home via the Highway 1.

Treaded tire seems to be the newest thing!

An expensive way to protect grape vines from birds

I came across the interesting plaque below

Steve's been working on the resto of this Norton 500cc twin cylinder 'Dominator'

The motor is fully reconditioned. It started easily and sat idling beautifully once Steve re-installed the carby.

My head says Ninja 1000, my heart says ZX14!

2011-03-13T19:14:00.004+11:00

Checked out the new Ninja 1000 on Saturday. Got Mrs Tarsnakes aboard as well just to size it up for two-up riding. Got the thumbs up in terms of 'fit' for a pillion, though she felt perched a little high. The dealership we dropped in at doesn't have a demo bike so I really cannot seriously consider it until I get to ride one.

Sitting aboard the Ninja 1000 it felt very short and maneuverable, seat height was OK-maybe just a fraction high, however, I felt that I was sitting 'on' the bike rather than 'in' it. The 3 position screen is very minimalist.

It's $15,500 ride away at this dealership, though I saw them on sale at $15K ride away in Elizabeth St, Melbourne.

Loved the black colour and the finish quality looked fine.

ABS is obviously a good thing.

Do you see that ZX14 in the top of the pic above? Well I had a little sit on that as well! Low seat height, great ergonomics, superior finish quality.......but maybe just a little too heavy for me at low speed when we're two-up? I've recently ridden Bill's ZX14 and know what a superb machine it is. They wanted $18K, ride away, for this superseded 2010 model.

I love black Kawasaki s. My head 'says' Ninja 1000, but my heart 'says' ZX14 !! Ah well, my history as a member of the 'West Coast Procrastinators' will no doubt serve me well.

Post script 23 March - my heart won, new ZX14 coming my way soon!

Southern NSW coast & Snowys Summer Road Trip 2011

2011-03-06T17:02:00.010+11:00

This year the crew for the road trip consisted of Marty, Bill, Phil & myself. The motorcycles were respectively, ZX14 Kawasaki, ZX9 Kawasaki,Suzuki V Strom with road tires and my ever reliable VFR800 (which ticked over 70,000kms on this trip).

Sunday evening 20 Feb saw Marty & I catching the ferry over Port Philip Bay to stay at Bill & Margy's overnight to miss the peak traffic bottleneck over the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne on Monday morning. Monday morning we hooked up with Phil at Tooradin, then headed down the South Gippsland Hwy to Orbost, in light rain most of the way.

Many thanks to Marty for planning yet another great route and to Bill & Phil for being such great fun and reliable riding mates.

I will post some maps and more text when I have time. I'm flat out at work now so will just do some bits and pieces to the write up and label the pics when I can. Also I have some thoughts about a motorcycle dealership that offered no help when it was needed and a small engineering works who stepped up and were brilliant. Any of the shots with me in them are Marty's pics.

All the high resolution pics at THIS LINK.

From Orbost the weather picked up and was pretty much perfect thereafter. We ran up the Bonang Road with it's 1080 bends in 90 kms (and 'Roos & deer so we were told later) for 3 nights in the tiny, but motorcycle friendly, town of Bombala (NSW).

Bombala's heritage guesthouse was our base for daily raids out through Southern NSW. We actually rented the near new house next door for 3 nights rather than taking room in the B&B. The owner, Les Atkins & his partner Priscilla were excellent hosts and made us feel very welcome.

I'd highly recommend this place for traveling motorcyclists. Heritage Guest House

Mt Darragah Rd near the scene of a gravel strewn corner, hidden in the shadows!

Bill & Phil at Eden. the wharf area has lots of great cafes.

Boys at the Imlay Creek.

"They took our parks"- the ZX10 was ridden by a female, former A Grade racer.

Touring Oz in a 50 year old Kombi. Left drive as originally bought in CA, USA. (Then shipped to England for 2 year rebuild, then to Aust).

Bermagui NSW

Old man of the sea ...... Jules taking a break

Commercial apple crops under nets at Batlow (NSW).

Side of the road photo op near Batlow

Elliot way, one of my most favorite roads!

Marty, Bill and Phil ready to hit Elliot Way. Not far from here we saw a large mob of wild brumbies to the side of the road. Much to my regret I didn't stop and photograph them!!

We then headed through the Snowys for 2 nights, staying in Corryong (Vic), and again, a couple of day trips from there before heading home.

Corryong butcher.

There seemed to be roadworks just about every road we took. Guess they have to do it before snow season. Cooling our heals for "...just 5 minutes mate....!"

Alpine Road. Bill aboard the Kawasaki ZX14

Hard to believe that you're looking at Mt Kosciusko- the hill on the left!

Adaminaby NSW, yep it's the big trout!

Phil & Marty discussing the size of sunglasses!

Road to the Snowys from Corryong

Marty kicking back at our motel in Corryong.

New memorial to the Man from Snowy River

Near Hume Dam

Flame Warriors

2011-03-03T17:58:00.001+11:00

I'm a member of a few motorcycle forums and discussion boards. All sort of folk post there, however, some 'identities' do seem to emerge.

If you're a forum member have a look at the flame warrior link below and check out all of the types in the drop down box - well worth a laugh and you might just recognise someone!
FLAME WARRIOR

Motorcyclists & successful ageing

2011-02-12T17:05:00.005+11:00

Geoff James of Confessions of an Ageing Motorcyclist has provoked some really interesting dialogue as a result of a post on his blog earlier this month entitled "Whats age got to do with it".

This has included some email discussions which I have been fortunate to have been party to with David L Hough, motorcyclist, journalist and author, from the USA.

Further to that topic I came across this gem linked from Pashnit.com. It's well worth a look! (see link below)

What do People Live For

And some more on this topic. ABC TV screened a documentary about an 85 year old motorcyclist. He's a life long motorcyclist who set himself the goal of doing 52,000 kms in 52 weeks during his 85th year!

You can watch it online HERE

Viwers outside of Australia click HERE

An Interceptor, a Ninja & a Commando

2011-01-29T21:50:00.006+11:00

Marty and I headed down hwy 1 from Geelong to Colac (Vic - approx 90 miles from Melbourne) and hooked up with Steve. From there the three of us took our familiar run to Apollo Bay via the inland forested part of the Great Ocean Road. Just out of Apollo Bay we turned inland and headed back towards Colac via the township of Forrest. Beech Forest and Forest were our main drink stops along the way.

Our route.

Our first stop after Colac was at Beech Forest. This comes after a great run gaining altitude along some winding roads lined with eucalyptus trees. We pulled in at the 'Ridge Cafe' which has a deck that looks out over the Otways bush.

Motorcycles parked in the shade.

The guys taking in the view

After a drink and chat it was off to Lavers Hill and then along the GOR for a stop and fuel at Apollo Bay. We had a great run along the GOR and it seems like the recent heavy rains have really cleaned the asphalt - the grip today was terrific.

Steve pulling up in the main street of the coastal town of Apollo Bay.

The Commando is approaching its 40th birthday!

Waiting in the shade while the guys fuel up. At $1.42 per litre ($5.38 per US gallon) it's a blatant rip off. I'm glad I have a large fuel tank.

After a brief walk around the Saturday market it was back on the motorcycles for a sensational run up through the bush to Forest, then to Steve's place near Colac. After chewing the fat for a while there under a shady tree, Marty & I headed back down Hwy 1 to Geelong.

This run was a really satisfying mix of great roads, great weather and great friends to share the experience with. January has just about ended and at last we are getting some decent summer weather! Tomorrow's forecast is for 41C (105F) so it was great to get out today in a very enjoyable 20C-25C (68F-77F).

International Island Classic Phillip Island

2011-01-23T21:48:00.015+11:00

I took a run down to Phillip Island with one of the other old West Coast Procrastinators, Andy, for the 'Island Classic' historic race meeting.We met up with our mates Bill & Terry when we got there. The weather was perfect for competitors and spectators alike. The biggest concern at Phillip Island is always how windy it will be.Thankfully today was very calm and sunny with a temp around 24C.

The last time that I went to Classic Races at PI was the first time this event was run! Here's the pin I bought back then.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day and was particularly impressed with some of the lap times. A handful of the very best were only 10 seconds slower than Stoner's 2010 MotoGP qualifying time. That's pretty impressive for 30 year old machines.

1938 Vincent HRD

I think it's a 1962 Azani Special

Andy made comment that the meeting was a bit light on for old British racing motorcycles, especially compared with all the post classic and forgotten era Japanese bikes. A fair comment - my analysis is that PI is maybe a bit too big a track for the really old bikes and that smaller tracks like Broadford probably suit them better. I happen to love the 70's & 80's era Jap bikes as they are the ones I saw, lusted after and rode during my youth.

A spectator's lovely 1100 Katana. Mrs Tarsnakes has ridden one of these back in the early 1980's, alas I never have.

Spectators with classic machines did a parade lap at lunch time.

What I really like about the Island Classic is that you can ride / drive vehicles anywhere around the track, rather than have to park in a designated parking compound. Also, the admission price ($35 for Sunday) includes full access to the pits. This means that it is very easy to take a close look at many of the classic motorcycles and the people who race them. I get a real buzz out of seeing guys roll up on their own historic or classic bikes. The ones I saw ridden in to the event ranged for a 1928 AJS to a late 1970's Laverda Jota. The Jota owner (a former Kawasaki dealership owner) was going to ride home 250+ miles that night after the racing finished- lot's of faith in a well maintained motorcycle.

Seeing a mint CBX1000 and RC45 together and talking to their owner was a real treat for me as well. I've mentioned before on this blog how much I'd love to have a CBX!

Mint CBX1000. The owner of this also had the RC45!

A very rare RC45

The classic races are very friendly, open events and certainly don't have that kind of that market driven, 'glamor' event feel of the MotoGP - which is a big positive in my book.

I took plenty of pics, for high resolution pics CLICK HERE

Holed crankcase

I can't lean any further!

John Whitla's lovely Jota. Mikuni carbs & Brembo brakes

I was a young teenager when these hit the market - glorious sounding twins.

The track by the ocean - Phillip Island

1928 AJS ridden in. The Gladstone bag 'top box' was a nice touch

Maldon day trip

2011-01-16T19:32:00.003+11:00

I took a solo run inland to avoid the Otways because of debris on the roads from all the recent heavy rain. I left Geelong under a cloudy sky with the temp around 16C, but expected better weather inland. I headed through the tourist trap town of Daylesford (having been tailed for around 5 klm by a marked police vehicle) to go to the historic former goldmining town of Maldon via the back roads through Newstead. The day quickly warmed up and before too long I had to pull over and remove some layers.

Here's the route

Pic below is between Ballan and Daylesford

The 'roos are a problem and behave much like deer in the USA.

Once past Daylesford I pretty much had the roads to myself. There was some minor road damage evident near Newstead from the flooding of the Loddon River, which peaked late on Friday.

Looks to me like the layer of asphalt was too thin in the first place.


River debris. There were flood warnings for nearby Maryborough so I kept clear.

Lunch

I had a bit of a walk around but it was so humid and I was overheating, it would have been nice in shorts and a T- shirt, like the 'fella below actually!

Saw this guy go bye in his "Queensland leathers" on a lovely old Vincent Comet single.

It started first kick after he stopped at a nearby shop.

Said g'day to the dog!

As I was leaving a couple pulled up in an immaculate old Mercedes 190 two-door.

This thing was pristine.

Always some surprises in the store windows in the country - a solar powered snake deterrent!

It was hot and humid and the shady verandas are perfect. There's a historic vehicle museum in Maldon, but a cast of guys on Harleys with beards like they play in ZZTop were there so I continued on.

VFR resting in the shade


An uncommon color for an Australian Wing.

Two up through the Otways

2011-01-04T17:29:00.008+11:00

Mrs T and I took a leisurely loop from Geelong to Forrest, Apollo Bay, Lavers Hill, Gellibrand, Birregurra and back to Geelong.

Total distance 305 kilometers

First stop was Forrest (Vic) for coffee.

1960 Morris Minor

Second stop was Apollo Bay for art exhibition

I quite liked this Melbourne streetscape

This pastel portrait was good

The run from Apollo Bay to Laver's Hill is via the Great Ocean Road. Much of it in this section is actually inland through eucalyptus forest. Lovely big open sweepers for the most part and one section of quite tight curves. Despite being summer holidays the traffic traveling along the GOR from Apollo Bay towards the 12 Apostles wasn't too bad.

We stopped in Laver's Hill at Blackwood Gully for lunch. It has a great outdoor deck area.

Great lunches.

From there we traveled inland through the bush and farming land via the back roads to Geelong. The weather was mostly sunny and at around 22C was a nice temp for riding.We need to stop reasonably often as Mrs T gets some vibration via one of the pillion footpegs which eventually makes her foot numb. I haven't been able to solve this problem yet despite replacing the rubber bush in the footpeg mount recently.

News Year's Day 2011

2011-01-01T18:57:00.006+11:00

The West Coast Procrastinators finally got their act together to reprise our NYD 2008 run. The route differed slightly, but still involved the same guys, the 12 Apostles, two old Norton Commandos, two Japanese motorcycles and plenty of time spent chatting over a tasty lunch together. Let me tell you a little about my riding buddies.

In addition to his Norton Commando, Andy has numerous other motorcycles. Complete and running are a 500cc BSA twin, a lovel and newly acquired 1972 T250 Suzuki Hustler, and an old 350cc Panther single. Under restoration is a 450 Ducati and another BSA. I've probably missed some, as there are numerous other motorcycles in various states of completion.

Other than his Comando, Steve has another complete and rideable Norton 500cc single, a 1970's RD350 Yamaha (which he rode to some of the most remote parts of Australia on back in 1979) and currently has a 500cc twin cylinder Norton Dominator under restoration. He also kindly houses my wife's rideable, but incomplete, early 1970's 175 Yamaha dirt bike and some other miscellaneous motorcycles and parts of Andy's. Both of these guys were my mates from our teenage years, when we came together with motorcycles and riding as our common bond.

Neither Marty nor I are are into restoring old motorcycles. He's my main touring buddy (and features in most rides reports on this blog) and we've been great friends for the past 25 years.

We headed off from our rendezvous point in Colac (Vic) which is approx 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Melbourne. Our lunch destination turned out to be the cafe at a distillery in the tiny Western District township of Timboon (Victoria). This is quite close to the famous 12 Apostles and the gas processing plant for the Casino Natural Gas off shore rigs.

Here's a map of our route starting in Colac at Steve's place, which is approx 80 klm (50 miles) from my home.

Map of ride from our rendezvous point in Colac (Vic).

Andy's '69 Commando

Steve's '71 Commando

The VFR and ZX9

A distillery-restaurant makes a nice point of difference from all the microbreweries that are popping up everywhere

Lunch on the deck was excellent

Visitors' centre at the 12 Apostles

Two of these and another large helicopter were sitting idle. NY's day seems to be a slow day for scenic flights!

Stop for drinks at the Gellibrand store

This was a very laid back ride in near perfect motorcycling weather and a great start to 2011. Here's hoping for many more great rides in 2011!

Ride safe everyone.

NYE ride postponed

2010-12-31T13:45:00.006+11:00

Forecast was for very strong winds and a top of 41C - currently it's 40.2C (104F). Let's see what tomorrow brings?

Post script: It actually rose to 42C (107F) later in the day.

Here is a link to a post on our New Year's Day ride in 2008.
Pashnit ride report

Kawasaki Ninja 1000

2010-12-30T12:04:00.001+11:00

More video and some road testers'comments - sorry but I can't get the sizing quite right!

Cabin fever

2010-12-30T08:39:00.002+11:00

Having some decent weather at last gave me the opportunity to take a quick run down to Colac to visit Steve and then head home via Beech Forest and Turton's track. I didn't take too many pics, but here's a few.

This is a close up of the display behind my Honda in the avatar picture for this blog.

Views from the deck of the Ridge Cafe at Beech Forest

Today's run was a spur of the moment thing, but I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's New Years Eve run to the 12 Apostles with the West Coast Procrastinators. The forecast temp is 38C for Friday. Some summer at last!

Another Sunday ride two-up

2010-12-05T17:59:00.003+11:00

Mrs Tarsnakes and I took a short run to Forrest (Vic) for coffee. We stopped in at 'Martians' cafe at Deans Marsh and took a few shots of some historic motorcycles parked there.

What particularly caught my eye was an old twin cylinder Norton, as my mate Steve is rebuilding a 500cc twin Dominator at present. There was also a well used Honda CBX1000 present, which is right at the top of the list of post classic motorcycles that I'd like to have.

Nice pipes, alloy rims, rearsets, ?? featherbed frame & belt primary - nicely done!

Modified primary drive. The chain drives always seem to leak oil, this is the clean belt alternative.

Don't know much about beezas- I'm guessing it's a 650

Rifles tank badge

An older Ducati

How I'd love one of these!

Moto Guzzi S3

Montesa road bikes must be pretty rare. This is a 350cc twin.

We only stopped at Martians briefly as it was pretty hot and very humid - not good in full leathers!

Mrs T in her new Vespa T.

From Forrest we headed down to Colac and dropped in to see how Steve's Domi resto is progressing. Well actually we dropped in to pay a pre-Christmas visit, but Steve and I often seek the company of Nortons and Jimi Hendrix in the shed!

All up, another grand afternoon out.

Kawasaki Z1000SX or Ninja 1000 in Oz.

2010-11-22T17:20:00.008+11:00

This is worth a look. It's aimed at those who don't want a pure sports bike. The claimed weight is 231 kg wet. Seat height 821 mm (hope they have a lowering option). Fuel tank 19 litres. Engine: 1043cc transverse four. The price Downunder has not been announced yet, but the motorcycle is due for release anytime now.

See http://www.kawasaki.com.au/

Spring Down Under

2010-11-21T16:29:00.009+11:00

For the first time in ages we've had two consecutive days of magnificent Spring weather on the weekend - just ideal conditions for motorcycling. I've been able to get out for a decent ride both days!

Yesterday Marty and I rode and today (Sunday) it was just Mrs Tarsnakes & I. We pulled in to a new micro brewery & cafe in Forrest (Vic); TheForrest Brewing Company. There were some great Clubman cars parked out front and a lovely old Morris Minor converted to a ute.

Clubmans at Forrest Vic


These things go around corners like nothing else. They weigh less than 800 kilograms, typically have 1.6 - 2 litre motors

Mrs Tarsnakes awaiting coffee.

Nicely done!

We then headed along Turton's track (very slowly) to Beech Forest.

The grim one himself.

A grand weekend of riding twisty roads, approx 550 kilometers all up.

The Norton Project - thanks to Geoff James for the 'heads up' on this video

2010-11-13T13:37:00.003+11:00

Snowy Mountains & Vic Alps Melbourne Cup weekend

2010-11-02T17:03:00.012+11:00

Bill R invited Marty & I join him on a run with his mates up to the High Country for the Melbourne Cup long weekend. Despite a grim weather forecast all eight showed up Saturday morning. Day one route was from Melbourne to Bright via East Gippsland and Mt Hotham. Day two was Bright to Corryong with an extended loop in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Day three was Corryong to Omeo via Mt Beauty & Fall's Creek. Day four was from Omeo back to Melbourne (& Geelong in our case). I covered 2035 kilometers in some spectacular Alpine Country with some of the best motorcycling roads you could wish for.

This was a great bunch of guys who made Marty and I very welcome to their riding group. Thanks fella's! We had a great time and a big thanks to Bill R for inviting us along.

Here's a few pics.

The guys

L to R: Marty, John, Fred, Bill, Phil, Willem & Nev.

These guys are skillful riders, they ride fast in the right conditions and do it very well!

Marty's group pic

The motorcycles

Sunday in Tumut

Morning tea at Tumut NSW. L to R: Fred, Willem, John & Marty

Downtown Tumut on a sunny Spring day

L to R: Nev, Phil & Bill

Monday we came across a vintage rally in beautiful downtown Yackandandah. Here are some examples

Kinda contrasts with what we were riding.

Winner of the sprint to Falls Creek (Vic)

L to R: Fred, John, Willem & Phil

Marty & I headed back to Geelong from Omeo via Mt Hotham, the rest headed for Melbourne via Bairnsdale. There were still some remnants of winter snow at Mt Hotham.

When we all rode the Great Alpine Road through Mt Hotham on Saturday the fog and mist was so bad that it was challenging to see three motorcycle lengths ahead! We had much better conditions this morning fortunately, but still a bit icy at the top.

The VFR in the High Country

Our last night we stayed at the Golden Age Hotel in Omeo, which is nicely renovated and I'd recommend it as a great place to stay - a cooked breakfast is included.

Weekday on the Great Ocean Road

2010-10-28T18:16:00.003+11:00

Next week I have to return to work after two months Long Service Leave. However, a few of us are heading off for a long weekend (Melbourne Cup = big deal) run to the Vic and New South Wales high country organised by Bill R.

Today was a magnificent sunny Spring day Down Under and as I've had a new front tyre and chain and sprockets installed on the VFR this week, I took a run along the GOR to make sure that the Honda & I are back in the zone for motorcycle riding prior to the weekend. I barely stopped and only took two pics as I enjoyed being back on the motorcycle so much.

At my stop for a drink at the Gellibrand store I bumped into an old school friend and motorcyclist who I haven't seen for many years. It was great to have a chat and catch up, albeit relatively briefly.

The journey home

2010-10-23T19:48:00.000+11:00

...comprised of a 6 hour flight from New York (JFK airport) to Los Angeles (LAX), 6 hours of waiting around and then 15 hr flight to Melbourne. Twenty-one plus hours flight time exceeds my tolerance for sitting still in one place by a substantial margin! Bags arrived OK and we cleared customs in no time.

So far I'm feeling OK, but I hate jetlag.

NYC Day 5

2010-10-21T07:58:00.005+11:00

A sleep in and a late start today in the hope of shaking off this head cold I've acquired in NYC.

We both had in mind that a fairly quiet day would fit the bill today, so we walked to the Metropolitan Art Gallery on 5th Ave for some culture. As we walked up the steps to the Met there was a group of men busking. Their vocals were sensational. No amplification, just beautiful vocal harmonies and one guy playing a double bass. They had a great reception from the crowd and were making a bundle in donations.

Oh the art at the Met was pretty impressive as well, about two rooms full of Rembrants being the highlight for us.

I ended up buying their CD, they were that good!

Henry VIII th's armor, late in his life. He wore this gear in a major battle - can't remember which one!

Mr Colt's finest

All sorts of art on display at the Met. In fact there is an extensive collection of weaponry. I was surprised how many suits of armor were made in Germany. I'd always associated it with the British was and Knights. The info said that in the 1500's the Germans were able to knock out quality armor quite rapidly.

I took quite a few pics of various sets of flintlock rifles and pistols that were incredibly well decorated.

Rembrant's famous self portrait. Mrs Tarsnakes Dutch ancestry plays some part in the art she likes to see. That's not to say that Van Gough, Vemeer and Rembrant are not well worth seeing in their own right. I really wanted to see van Gough's "Starry Night" but it's at a different gallery in NYC.

A Vemeer - Mrs Tarsnakes is a fan of his stuff.

More Rembrants

The painting above is pretty famous. I heard a young guy saying he had come to the gallery just to see this painting and it had taken him an hour to find it.

French embassy on 5th Ave. I've been blown away with the architecture all around New York. It's not just the major public buildings. There are lovely old 1800's ornate apartment buildings all around the suburbs.

After leaving the Met we took a walk through Central Park and then around some of the back streets of our 'hood'. There were lovely old apartments everywhere.

Central Park. This place is a huge oasis in a massive metropolis. NYC is the antithesis of the wide open spaces that I love so much - but is a place that I am very glad to have sampled.

Don't pat the pets - they bite!

Pics from some of the back streets of the Upper West side around 75th to 82nd streets.

Neighborhood and our hotel.

Hotel Belleclaire

NYC Day 4

2010-10-20T08:48:00.000+11:00

The plan for today was to go to ground zero where the twin towers used to be and to ascend the Empire State Building. Tickets for Empire State cost $22 apiece and I purchased them online prior to heading out.

There is a massive amount of building work going on for construction of the new memorial tower, however, apparently the logistics of bringing materials through city streets is a major problem. I'm not sure why, but they are not permitted to use a river approach and transport stuff the short distance from the water by road.

A bell in the grounds of St Paul's church (which was a major relief centre during the disaster).

We went to the 86th floor observatory. It's incredible that this building was built in only 13 months. The Great Depression provided a massive and cheap workforce and safety standards were abysmal by any standards.

View towards the Hudson River, Chrysler Building spire in sight.

The views of city extend to the horizon in every direction. Although it appeared a little hazy in the distance, one of the things that has amazed us about NYC is the lack of air pollution.

View toward East River. Manhattan certainly is an island. I'd read that bedrock for building foundations can be at 2 feet in the middle of the island and 200 feet elsewhere, especially around the river banks.

We could see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Isl in the distance but it didn't photograph well, so no pic here.

NNYC Day 3

2010-10-19T15:56:00.001+11:00

Some pics from a day trip to Harlem and a look around the buildings adjoining Central Park. We also took a boat trip out on the Hudson River - pics of that later.

We went to a Broadway show in the evening. Chicago - strange show to see in New York!

Apollo Theatre Harlem - starting place for the Jackson Five on Wed amateur night.

Big Cathedral up near Columbia University

Central Park from 5th Ave

By the guard box is where John Lennon was gunned down

This officer caught a glimpse of me taking her pic and was not happy. She and a colleague were stepping out into heavy traffic and stopping taxis to check the driver's credentials. The policing in NYC is very active, cars, bicycles and foot patrols in huge numbers. They claim that's whats made the city safe.

Public housing in Harlem.

Below- a sign on the subway train window.

NYC day 2

2010-10-18T14:49:00.005+11:00

A day of some iconic NYC land marks and a day on the water.

Empire state of mind. (That's the title of a song by Jay-Z & Alecia Keys)

Residential buildings: the triangular based building on the left below is the historic 'Flatiron' building completed in 1902 and regarded as NYC's first skyscraper.

The new

NYC viewed from Ellis Island

Times Square at night

New York City - First Impressions

2010-10-17T09:35:00.002+11:00

We took the AMTRAK railway from Philadelphia to NYC. Emerging from Penn Station to ground level is like jumping into a river that is a raging torrent of people. We lined up (of course) for a taxi, jumped in and after 5.3 miles through the guts of NYC arrived at our hotel. It's probably the best $15 I've ever spent! (plus tip). The cabbie spoke to someone in what I presume was Arabic the whole way and had a deft touch on the horn, only honking when all else failed!

Our room wasn't ready but we left our bags and explored the 'hood' which actually seems quite nice. Came back 2 hrs later and checked in. It was quite a lot like checking into a hotel room in Paris - small room, wooden floor boards and water heater - that isn't activated until ambient temp of 50F prevails. However, the flat screen TV and 'fridge are good. This is the same hotel that Mrs Tarsnake's work colleague Lynne-Marie stayed at back in Feb. Gavin, we sussed Nicks hamburger joint for breakfast as you recommended.

We bought a weekly ticket for the subway each and headed downtown to Broadway. Mrs Tarsnakes is much more relaxed with subterranean travel than I. we surfaced at 50th St and explored for a good while until it started getting quite chilly.

Halloween or protest - we couldn't tell. Silly me, of course it's a Zombie Walk!

Great costumes.

Lots of passion!

Near Times Square

This is NOT a city of churches.

Times Square

Spotted this van - some expats perhaps?

Mrs Tarsnakes in imes Square

More Philadelphia

2010-10-15T09:21:00.004+11:00

We shifted hotels to the Marriot in Downtown Philadelphia. Only $20 per night more expensive than the delipadated Comfort Inn and about 500% better.

We went to the Philadelphia Art gallery, rated No 3 in the whole USA. It also has the steps featured in the 'Rocky' movies and now has a Rocky statue to the side of the east entrance. It started to rain while we were in the gallery, only the second time in the 3 weeks that we've been in the US.

They have some big name works here -you've probably heard of the guys who painted these pics. Van Gough, Cezanne and Monet are the ones featured. Photography without flash was permitted and security was tight in each gallery.

Getting strong now!

We chatted at the Rocky statue with a bunch of young people from Slovenia who were having a ball travelling. We took some pics of them as a group and they took these shots of us.

Outlook from top of steps.

I looked online and saw that the first practice for the Phillip Isl MotoGP was delayed and then held in terrible weather.

Friday night around 6.30pm the fire alarm in the Marriot went off. The PA announcement said to stay where you are and await further info. On the 8th floor we thought the stairs were possible for us. We looked out in the corridor and a young lass approached us in a distressed state. Just as we were about to head down the stairs (against the advice) the 'all clear' was given. Glad we weren't on the 21st floor as originally planned. We had checked in very early and took the 8th floor room rather await our high floor request.

Good luck and safe riding Geoff in NZ on your 24 hr 'Grand Challenge' endurance run - I look forward to hearing all about it.

There is a link to Geoff's blog on my sidebar. or click here.

Philadelphia PA

2010-10-14T08:55:00.005+11:00

We got into Philadelphia via Greyhound bus late yesterday afternoon (ie Tuesday - remember date stamp on blog is Aust time - a day ahead). I cannot believe that it cost only $25 for both of us booked online. How can it be this cheap? Well the bus stations were disgusting in terms of cleanliness and staff attitude - our first negative experience in the US really. I guess it's just capitalism at it's finest - you get what you pay for. Anyway it's Amtrac from Philly to New York on Saturday, less distance than yesterday (90 miles) but $135. The hire car we had rented in California and used in Nevada, Arizona & Utah was great value, 12 days, over 2,500 miles, insured to the hilt (it is the litigious USA after all) and all for a total of just on USD $800. Our dollar is currently at 98 cents against the greenback which helps as well.

Philadelphia is steeped in history, but does not have the grand scale marble and granite buildings of Washington DC. It's a more gritty sort of place, however, interesting in it's own right.

It's the birthplace of American Independence, the Liberty Bell and the Philly Cheese Steak! Incidentally, I had the best Filet Mignon ever last night at an "old town" restaurant, and quite ironically, we sat near to a lovely elderly couple from Paris, France and had a great conversation with them - only to meet them again at breakfast in the same hotel as us.

The Liberty Bell

Statue of Admiral Barry - who began the US Navy

Backstreets of "Old City"

Lots of food vendors on the streets.

View from our hotel room

Philly is also the home of Revzilla, a leading online retailer of motorcycle apparel. Mrs Tarsnake's Alpinestars leather jacket came from them & posted to Oz for less than wholesale price in Aust. They have a small showroom in a (sketchy) industrial part of Philadelphia a few miles from our hotel. Our turban wearing cabbie didn't actually want to take us there and afterwards the Revzilla staff rang a taxi for us (they won't come otherwise) we had to wait an age for it to arrive! Anyway, I've spent my tax return now!

We chatted with a friendly young guy who was buying a jacket & was really proud of his Hayabusa. His long dreadlocks we unspoiled because there is no need to wear a helmet in Pennsylvania!

Inside RevZilla

And one more pic, this was challenging for Mrs Tarsnakes to photograph at night without upsetting the 120kg African American guy who was eating pizza in front of his business premises.

More images of Washington DC

2010-10-12T11:44:00.003+11:00

Some random pics from around DC.

Avenue in DC

The place of Lincoln's assassination - Ford's Theatre

Smithsonian Portrait Galley - I loved the paintings of the Presidents and the Norman Rockwell exhibition.

FBI

An old house in historic Georgetown - a real tourist trap area!

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe - best burger ever.

The Capitol

Read the license plates "We the people of the United States .........." You figure out the rest.

Painters doing the outside windows at the Smithsonian portrait gallery - that's as arty as I get!

Smithsonian Castle - the original Smithsonian building

Mrs Tarsnakes with Michelle & Barak.

Capitol again, but towards dusk

I had to travel this far just to get a sun burnt nose!

Mrs T loves these little fellas - the locals think of them as members of the rat family.

Washington DC

2010-10-10T14:06:00.004+11:00

First day in DC was warm, sunny and quite amazing. Our hotel is really well situated for seeing all the National Monuments, but not so good for going out at night. There are no restaurants nearby and when we walked down to the Potomac River on dusk we didn't really feel all that safe. Actually there was a really big outdoor seafood market going on - I've never seen so many crabs, prawns and all sorts of fish just straight off the boats. We asked a woman for some directions and she indicated that it was not a great place for us to be walking around at night - make sure you look purposeful and don't pull out your map!

Part of War Memorial near the reflecting pool - all part of the National Mall.

Mr & Mrs Tarsnakes with Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool in the background.

Abe

Obama T shirt - I think the $5 price tag says something!

Vista of Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool.

More War memorial. Actually there were heaps of WW2 veterans at the war Memorial for a get together, mainly in wheel chairs but each one with a minder. Many had their army or marine hats on and all were in orange shirts. These men must all be well past their 80's and it was kinda nice to see them all out at the various memorials talking, shaking hands and reminiscing together.

Below - Washington Monument

Squirrels everywhere

The White House

Tarsnake's son once described him as 'grim looking' most of the time.

Original Smithsonian

Smithsonian air and space museum

Leaving Las Vegas

2010-10-09T07:01:00.003+11:00

I'm glad to leave Las Vegas, it's not my sort of place! However, Las Vegas served as a good staging point for our trips out to Zion National Park (a day trip) and to the Grand Canyon (over-nighted there) and to fly out to Washington DC.
POST SCRIPT: we flew with Southwest Airlines where one gets a boarding pass but there is no seat allocation on the plane at all - just pick a seat and sit down. Great, except by the time we boarded there was not 2 seats together anywhere for the 1.5 hr leg to Denver, Colorado. Then when most Denver passengers departed the aircraft, we walked to the second front row of seats and sat together right up the very front for the 4 hr leg to Washington DC. Arrived at 11.00pm local time Friday night and had to take a taxi to our hotel, the Residence Inn Marriott Capitol.

Here's a few more pics non Vegas pics.

Grand Canyon Arizona

2010-10-07T12:13:00.002+11:00

We got up early and drove the 275 miles from Vegas to the South rim of the Grand Canyon. Encountered some severe weather (there were warnings on freeway overhead signs and radio - we saw on TV later that there had been 4 tornados about 80 miles from where we were that had destroyed homes). At the Grand Canyon there was an unseasonal thunderstorm and and some sunny breaks. We were freezing cold much of the afternoon!

Nothing can prepare you for the magnitude of this place

Pictures just don't capture the depth and breadth of it all.

Just how often do you walk into a cafe and find a sign like this at the door?

Of course, it's Arizona!

It was also strange to see motorcyclists riding the freeways without helmets. I was gobsmacked to see people on the motorcycles helmetless at 75 mph out on the Interstate. Lots of them!

Zion National Park Utah

2010-10-06T16:26:00.002+11:00

We hit the open road to Utah to see Zion National Park - a place I've had my heart set on going to since we first talked about a trip to the US. We left a warm Las Vegas around 8.00am, however by the time we got to Zion it was cool and drizzly - strange in a desert environment. Yet I have seen torrential rain and lightening over Ayers Rock in Oz which is not that common either.

As an aside, it was s strange feeling to be cruising down the highway legally at 75 mph, past two police radar traps and they did not give us a second look.

Zion is really well run. Cars are left in the car park and a fleet of step on - step off free shuttle buses that travel all the main beauty spots and hiking trail heads. These buses travel run in both directions and you never have to wait more than 5 mins for a bus - it makes for a much better experience than Yosemite with cars everywhere.Accommodation in and near the park is an issue though, so we did this as a (long) day trip from Las Vegas. We could have easily stayed a few days at Zion.

A wild turkey - for real!

Hoover Dam, Mystere & The Phantom

2010-10-05T18:23:00.006+11:00

Monday we went for a short run over to the Hoover Dam.

There is nothing very compelling about Las Vegas to a non gambler, however one of the things that we have enjoyed are the live shows. Sunday night we went to 'Mystere' by the Cirque du Soleil which was spectacular and then followed that Monday night with 'Phantom of the Opera' - very different performances but both were excellent.

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Death Valley CA & Nevada

2010-10-04T18:35:00.003+11:00

A few pics from our run from Lone Pine through to Las Vegas via Death Valley.

Some video footage here

Yosemite National Park CA

2010-10-01T15:28:00.003+10:00

We drove down the East side of Lake Tahoe, into Carson City Nevada down Hwy 395 back into CA. This is an Alpine desert road, really pretty in a desolate sort of way - we even saw a coyote up close. From there we took the Tioga Pass to enter Yosemite from it's Eastern entrance. This place is breathtaking. It is everything and more than we expected. I will let the pictures talk for themselves.

El Capitan

Many people out living their dreams motorcycle touring. Just about all of them in big HDs or Honda Gold Wings, I don't think that I actually saw a sports bike all day.

Lake Tahoe

2010-09-30T11:40:00.002+10:00

Some pics from around our destination today, after a hot night in Redding CA last night.

Donner Lake

Lake Tahoe CA

Fort Bragg to Redding via Hwy101 & Hwy 229

2010-09-29T16:14:00.001+10:00

Drove up the coast a bit on Shoreline Hwy 1, then on to Hwy 101N, (also about 8 miles on into the Humboldt National Park) the Redwood Hwy to Eureka, then to Redding via Hwy229E and the beautiful Shasta-Trinity National Forest. This is spectacular country and the giant redwoods are so tall that it's actually hard to get pictures of them.

North on Hwy 1 Shoreline Drive

2010-09-28T17:30:00.004+10:00

This is actually Monday USA time, despite what the blog date stamp says.
What a day! We trudged through the steep streets of San Francisco "only a few blocks" to Bush Street to pick up our pre-booked hire car. We got there at 10.00am only to join a very long queue of others waiting for their cars. Long story short, we left at 12.30pm 'upgraded' Jeep SUV. Now I had been pretty edgy about driving through downtown SF in a car I'd never driven before, on unfamiliar streets on the wrong side of the road. However, the joy that is a GPS made it all so easy. It was quite a buzz to motor over the Golden Gate Bridge and head north.

Hwy 1 North is much like the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, only more wild and isolated. Oh, and I was pulled over by one of Mendicino County's finest today - but no ticket issued. In fact he was a very nice guy and gave me some education on California's speed limits. It's not what you're thinking - I was pulled over for travelling too slowly! Dorothy had a good laugh!

Tonight we are at a motel in the fishing town of Fort Bragg. Had a great seafood meal at the North Coast Brewery, which was excellent and great value compared with San Francisco prices.

Tomorrow to the Humbolt Redwood park and beyond.

Napa Valley

2010-09-27T16:51:00.004+10:00

We took a bus trip around some of the vineyards of Sonoma and Napa today. It was a boiling hot day in the valley, around 37C at one stage.

Very familiar landscape to Aussies.

Back in San Francisco we went out for dinner to a restaurant that opened in 1849 - Tadich Grill.
The first is at a famous seafood restaurant, Tadich's.

A genuine San Francisco cable car.

San Francisco

2010-09-25T17:46:00.004+10:00

We had a really smooth flight to Los Angeles, then a connection to San Francisco. Even though smooth, its still a long, long way and we were felling pretty rung out after 15 plus hours of flying! Here are some pics from San Francisco.

Spring on the Great Ocean Road

2010-09-07T18:44:00.003+10:00

The weather forecast promised so much - foggy then sunshine and 16C. The reality of the weather was not quite so good. However, Steve and I managed an enjoyable run along part of the GOR and through the Otways. Being mid week there was very little traffic compared with the weekends.

A scenic spot to stop for a chat.

Actually the GOR was far from at its best today. We've experienced torrential rain in Southern Australia over the past few days. While there has not been flooding along the coast here, there has been significant rain induced damage to the GOR. There were frequent streams running across the road and evidence of many small land slides and rock falls that resulted in a lot of muddy debris, particularly on the cliff side of the road.

The weather changed from sunshine in Lorne to raining in Apollo Bay and part of the way inland up through the Otways.

As the old saying goes, 'it's an ill wind that blows no good' and to that extent is was great to see that the West Barwon Dam is 70% full after these heavy Spring rains. It has not been this full in years due to the succession of droughts we've had.

A ride at last!

2010-08-07T16:50:00.001+10:00

After 2 months of not riding due to bad weather or work commitments it was great to finally head out for a short ride to Lorne and back via the Great Ocean Road(GOR).

Clunes central Vic

2010-05-23T17:58:00.000+10:00

Where better to go on a chilly Sunday than Ballarat - renowned for its warmth & sunshine.
We took a run to visit a mate of ours Andy in Ballarat. He fired up his Norton Commando and we took a run to the historic township of Clunes. It was quite sunny but still pretty cold at 12C nevertheless.

Autumn in the Otways

2010-05-16T16:38:00.000+10:00

Started sunny but cold, then got cloudy and colder as we climbed to Beech Forest Vic.

Peter's new CB1000R

2010-05-01T17:46:00.002+10:00

A mate of mine, Peter, crashed his 07' Repsol Fireblade over in Tasmania back in February. It's taken him a while to get on top of his injuries and sort out a new motorcycle. He decided to go with a change from sports style of the 'Blade. Pete wound up buying a Honda CB1000R and is loving it. He really likes the torque of the detuned 'Blade motor and the ease of riding an unfaired, short wheelbase machine.

Easter at Broadford

2010-04-03T18:35:00.009+11:00

Afternoon run with a black Commando

2010-03-20T19:04:00.000+11:00

Mrs Tarsnakes & I hooked up with my mate Steve for a quick run up to Forrest for a coffee and check out the West Barwon Dam.

The Black Commando

Steve & Jules

D & J. Steve suggested that he should take some shots of us - thanks mate!

All up a great afternoon's riding. Great to catch up with Steve and get a ride in as well.

Perfect Autumn day

2010-03-13T19:05:00.002+11:00

Had a brilliant day out riding with Marty. A far cry from last Saturday's biblical storms. We did the usual loop thru the Otways.

Always good to chat to Paul and Maree at the Gellibrand store. They recently did a trip around Tassie two up on their KTM.

While stopped at Gellibrand for a drink and chat, a guy from Cairns, (far north Queensland) pulled in on his well travelled Moto Guzzi Breva.

Caught in the tail of Melbourne's storm

2010-03-07T15:49:00.001+11:00

Mrs Tarsnakes & I went for a short ride to Forrest (Vic) yesterday. As we finished our drinks the sky grew black and we decided to head for home pronto. "Looks like the calm before the storm" I said as we geared up.

We barely made it out of the township and down came the rain. It was quite tropical in all, pelting rain but quite warm at about 25C. We were caught out without our wet weather gear (long time since that's happended!) so just had to keep going as it was obvious that it wouldn't let up. We saw some cruisers and a Ducati pulled up under tree donning their wet weather gear, a risky strategy given the lightening about!

It seems that were were on the tail end of a massive storm that hit Melbourne and caused havoc in the city.

Words, pics & video here from The Age newspaper.

Blue Mountains, New South Wales

2010-02-21T17:29:00.009+11:00

This year the destination for our annual motorcycle trip was the Blue Mountains in NSW, via the Victorian Alps & Snowy Mountains. There were only three of us this time, Bill R on his new Kawasaki ZX14, Marty on his ZX9 and me on the VFR800. We had a great run, despite a little crappy wet weather to start off with.

MAP TO FOLLOW

Sunday 14th Feb - the first day for Marty & I was Geelong to Bairnsdale where we met Bill. Then we all headed on to Bright via Omeo and Mt Hotham.

Pic of the motorcycles at Mt Hotham Victoria - just before the rain started. Fortunately it didn't last too long and the descent was on a dry road.

Our digs for the night - the Oriental hotel-motel in Bright. We have all stayed there previously. It rained heavily from just near Harietville for our final run into Bright. Bill most generously gave me a ride on his new ZX14, which was a revelation in very controllable, turbine smooth, refined motorcycling. Now I have to have one, of course!

Monday 15th - Bright to Bungendore (near Canberra) via The Alpine Way. This can be quite a technically challenging ride due to it being a narrow mountain road, however, parts of it were made more difficult by the presence of rain, some gravel strewn corners and the presence of wildlife.

Near Tom Groggin there was a mob of decent sized kangaroos! In fact we saw quite a lot of road side wild life,including 'roos, an emu, rabbits and a tortoise all in our path at some stage. Fortunately we didn't encounter any wild horses this time, though we could see where they had crossed the road in places.

Tuesday 16th - Bungendore to Katoomba in the NSW Blue Mountains, via Sydney. Being lost in peak hour traffic had both the motorcycle engines and their riders running pretty hot! However, the weather was good and we finally got to our digs at the Katoomba Family Hotel - which was not as it looked on the 'Net when we booked.What a dump! Marty & I had intended to use it as a base for a couple of days, but we checked out the next morning and had our 2nd night's tariff refunded.

The sea bridge near Woolongong - part of the Grand Pacific Drive. Quite a bit over-rated really!

Wednesday 17th - Bill headed of homeward for two days of riding via central NSW. Marty & I looked at Echo point and "The Three Sisters", then took the road to the Jenolan caves, and then on to Lithgow. From Lithgow we traveled Bells Line of Road - featuring sensational views and lots of twisty corners - all in gorgeous sunshine. We then headed up the legendary (for motorcyclists) 160+ kilometers of the Putty Road to Singleton in the Hunter Valley. The Putty was everything that we had hoped for & certainly did not disappoint! Checked into a great little pub for the night and had an excellent meal there as well. Much to my surprise Singleton seemed like a very prosperous town (population around twenty thousand).

Thursday 18th - awoke to another sunny day and headed back the way we had come. After re-fueling and a drink in Lithgow we headed for the Mt Panorama race track in Bathurst. Saw a sneaky unmarked police pursuit car in Lithgow that even had personalized number plates.

The countryside was very green and looked a treat after all the recent heavy summer rainfall that NSW has had. After a couple of laps and some pics at Mt Panorama we headed for Cootamundra, but by the time we got to Young called it quits for the day.

VFR@Mt Panorama - pics by M Owen.

Friday 19th - Young NSW to Beechworth Vic, via Gundagai, Tumut, Tumburumba and a fantastic run along Lake Hume on the Granya road. Before we got to Beechworth we went for a quick deliberate detour via the Gundaring road to Myrtleford and then up Buckland's Gap to Beechworth.

The dog on the Tucker Box monument.

Near Tooma, NSW, we stopped in at the memorial to the Southern Cloud aviation disaster of 1931. This countryside is magnificent on a day like this. China Wall and Mt Kosciusko in the distance. This is my third visit to this spot and there is something about it that is very special. Difficult to put into words though!

Lake Hume - the colors really were this vivid

Marty on the Granya road, the temp climbing by now.

We checked into our accommodation at the Old Priory. Our room was the largest bedroom I've ever seen - actually it was the former chapel. We had the entire place to ourselves, which was just a little creepy.

Saturday 20th- all good things have to come to an end and so we headed towards home via the Milliwa wine region, the King valley, the twisty section of Whitfield to Mansfield, Yea and then down the freeway to Melbourne and then home to Geelong.

Many thanks to Marty for organising such an excellent route for this year's ride, which was approximately 3,500Ks. All the motorcycles ran perfectly and we had no 'pucker" moments or performance awards!

Draggin Jeans = great service

2010-02-08T19:03:00.000+11:00

I bought Mrs Tarsnakes a new pair of Draggin Jeans just after Christmas. After their 1st wash she noticed that a small section of stitching on the leg near the ankle had come unstitched. Nowhere near the impact zone, but still disappointing.

I emailed Draggin and got a prompt reply saying that I could post them or drop them in for inspection. I dropped in at Draggin' in Port Melbourne today and saw Tim Fong, who had replied to my email. He inspected them, said sorry and gave me a new pair without hesitation. There was no claim form to fill in or any hassle at all.

I was mighty impressed with their customer service and only wish all companies were as professional and easy to deal with.

Thanks Tim and Draggin'.

The Tarsnakes ride again

2010-02-07T18:43:00.004+11:00

Mrs Tarsnakes & I did a run the back way from Geelong (via Deans Marsh) to the Otway Estate Vineyard just out of Colac for brunch. We then went for a short run up through the twisties to Beech Forest, then back down the Gellibrand road again to Colac to visit Mr & Mrs Commando Steve.

Brunch on the deck overlooking the vines was ideal.

And just to show how early I get up - sunrise over Geelong. It's actually mid week!

An enjoyable day out and not too hot this time on the way home.

Apollo Bay & beyond

2010-01-30T23:18:00.007+11:00

Team Tarsnakes took a run from Geelong to Apollo Bay via Forrest (coffee stop), then coastal on the GOR to Laver's Hill, then home via the outskirts of Colac. At 307 Ks this is the longest run that Mrs Tarsnakes has done as a passenger in a very, very long time, and 60% was very twisty. We even managed to comprehensively hose off a young guy on a Harley through the leg from Ferguson to Gellibrand.

This was Mrs T's first time out in her brand new Alpinestars jacket, purchased from RevZilla online, USA. Dealing with RevZilla was easy and their service was excellent. The only downside for us is that they have a minimum order of $299 for transactions with Australia, which limits my purchases of some other items from them. This women's jacket is a quality item that fits her beautifully and even with postage was $200 cheaper than we could purchase it here!

Geared up and ready to roll.

It was a glorious day in Apollo Bay

The harbour looked perfect on a day like this.

We had a lovely late lunch at Lavers Hill and chatted with a young couple from Bolonga, Italy who were heading for the 12 Apostles.

Although it was quite hot inland (around 32C) for the last hour of riding, this was a magnificent day out that we both really enjoyed.

Indians

2010-01-25T21:04:00.004+11:00

Quite by chance we came across an Australian Indian motorcycle rally near Corryong Vic. Apparently they were riding from Corryong to Gundowring (on the Keiwa Valley hwy) and then back to Corryong - it was pretty hot at approx 36C.

It was great to see so many bikes on the road and many were getting along quite nicely in excess of 100 kph. Here are some pics I took at one of their roadside stops. I don't know enough about old Indians to discern between Chiefs and Scouts. Most have hand gear change levers, which must be challenging at times.

The one below had a disc brake conversion. The forks don't look strong enough for too much stopping power!