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Ok so the title is a bit over the top but I just wanted to spice it up a bit :laugh:
Took the DRZ to Nundle this weekend and had a bit of a play in the “hills of gold” and on Saturday hit the Hanging Rock State Forest. Being on my own and still suffering from shoulder pain I took it fairly easy and tried to avoid anything too hard core although I did find one particularly nasty hill that was all ruts. I got about halfway up on the left side before there was nowhere to go so I tried cutting across to the other side only for the magic button failed me for the first time. All the other electrics were working just not the button so I turned around to clutch start it down the hill only to find the button working again. I decided though that discretion was the better part of valor and continued to back track away from the brother of Rutzilla. The only other problem I had was when I went over one of the erosion mounds only to find a rutted bog hole on the other side. When I landed the bike almost stopped dead in the mud which jarred my aggravated my shoulder injury.
Sunday I decided to do some exploring and was looking to take it easy as I had experienced the button failure a couple of times the day before and also as my shoulder was pretty sore after the previous days riding. I headed out through Hanging Rock township where the road turned to gravel and continued along until I found a track off to the right (back towards Nundle). I headed in and it took me back into some more pine forest, this track looked to have been cut through with a bulldozer a month or so previously but other than 3 fresh motorbike tracks, appeared to have barely been used if at all. The pines looked to be about ready for harvesting though. The track wasn’t gravel, it was just the natural soil which was a loamy type. The track wound its way around a hillside before dropping further and further down into the valley. I came to a T-intersection and decided to go right which continued downwards but eventually it was a dead end, I wasn’t disappointed though as I was looking forward riding back up again.
I had intended to go back the intersection and back up the trail I had come as I was going to really enjoy riding back up that part but I was having so much fun I missed it and continued on. At one point I was hooking along at a reasonable pace when I came to a bit of a rise in the track and so gave it some extra beans to pop over the top. Only problem was a sharp turn just past which I overshot running just of the track over a slight embankment and just missing a large log. After that I went back more of a cruising speed and eventually wound my way back onto the road. I tried a few more tracks as I came across them but they were either short loops away from and back to the road or they lead to some unused camp sites, probably used by hunters. From there I headed back through hanging rock towards Nundle and turned left into a small quarry by the roadside. There was a sign with an arrow just of the road saying that there was a mine with a name that I can’t recall so I followed it on what was a narrow gravel road to the point where the mine supposedly was but without getting off the bike and walking around I couldn’t see. This was a dead end and so I again backtracked the way I came but instead of turning back up the hill to the road where I had come down, I continued on the the track which again stared to wind down into the valley before starting the climb back up and eventually came out on the road in to Hanging Rock Lookout. From there I cut across the road onto another track that looked to be heading down the hill to Nundle but after about 200m I had button trouble again. I played around with wires but nothing changed so I tried to clutch it down the hill but no joy. I got off and walked further down the track to see if I could roll down and get to the road but the further down I went, the higher the road was above the track which was already about a meter and a half above the dirt where I had left the bike and all with a very steep embankment. When I got back to the bike I tried the button again and it worked so I made a bee line for the lowest embankment up to the road. I managed to just get onto the road before the engine died and the button failed again. Now at this point I was probably 3 or 4 K’s from Nundle but most of it was down hill. I rolled down the hill and tried to clutch start it but it wouldn’t fire so I just rolled as far as I could until I had to push it about 50 m to an intersection where I ahd another play around with the electrics but didn’t find the problem. From there I rolled about another km before I again had to push it about 50m before rolling for maybe 300 meters then push it the last 100m or so back to the van park where Boony and Eagle where to offer moral support (and matches).
I had a look the following day and found the problem
Not many pictures but a bit of video footage from the Saturday road only, I didn’t take the video camera on the Sunday ride but wish I had as I was riding through some beautiful countryside.
Here is the cause of my electrical problems
A couple of shots of the rutted hill and some native flora to make your head spin 👿 :whistle:
I tried a different setup here with the camera mounted on the side of the tank on these first 3, there is a bit of vibration but not too bad, you can tell when I get some air off the erosion mounds because the vibration stops until I land again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB89t9T6zeA&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOzW5K5_yd8&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTrbCy9M7qg&feature=youtube_gdata
A bit more video still to come.That rutted hill Jeffro is “Sweet Mother Of Jesus “..fun aint it ?
Glad the yowies didn’t get you since you were all on your lonesome.
Would have joined you if i knew you were about…oh well next time
Nice ride report Blair Grills :cheer:Bol :woohoo:
Jeffro,
Judging by those cables of yours those rats that were nesting in Boony’s airbox ventured over to your bike whilst you were in them there hills of gold :laugh: :laugh:
Adam.
PS good video footage
adam wrote:Jeffro,Judging by those cables of yours those rats that were nesting in Boony’s airbox ventured over to your bike whilst you were in them there hills of gold :laugh: :laugh:
Adam.
PS good video footage
Rats is a good theory but im guessing someone left some wires hanging loose when they fitted their new triple clamp and steering damper. Oops. :silly:
Scotty wrote:Rats is a good theory but im guessing someone left some wires hanging loose when they fitted their new triple clamp and steering damper. Oops. :silly:hey hey hey, no need for finger pointing Scotty
.And yes Chris I am aware of the risks of solo riding but as the saying goes, riding with friends is good for the heart but riding alone is good for the soul. I am also extra careful when riding alone and avoid the worst stuff.
Here is my miserable attempt at the ruts, had I not been alone I would have hit it harder.
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