Well, this wasn’t really an OBT ride since there was only one OB there espousing the benefits of this great enterprise! Also there are no pics for this report so if that bothers you stop reading NOW! (I’m sure one of them will email me something soonish)
We set out early Monday morning and grouped near the carpark…knowing it would be a warm day but not expecting the excessive heat that transpired!
We toddled off 2 experienced riders and 3 newbies. After a little light fire trail work I figured the lads could do with some hill work and headed out around the back of the MX track and down a hill.
I didn’t think it was THAT much of a hill but poor old mate on the WR dropped that poor thing more than a few times, hurting his knee and finally snapping his front brake lever at the bottom near the creek, the other newbies showed some stylish moves getting down that puppybut that would be just the beginning!
After some considerable work on a spare VOR clutch lever (including using one of God’s hammers and a special sandstone bench grinder) we had fashioned a working Yamaha brake lever and away we went…for 50 metres!
The uphill caused a bit more grief with a broken clutch perch on the XR (who carries spare ones of those?!?!?) and a bent clutch lever on the DRZ! The lead riders rode the bikes up that stepped mess and off we went to the road to source some parts at Lithgow (thankfully it was a Monday and not Sunday!€ Thankyou Lithgow Bike Stop!)
Back to the bikes where new parts were fitted and a bit easier riding engaged. (Maybe I’m abit of a sadist when it comes to newbies???) A couple of minor get offs and one memorable moment when I managed to line a rider up prior to a puddle…I was sure he’d back right off and wait for me to go through, even though I was turned and watching him…but he kept coming and SPLOOSH!!! Tiny would have been proud!
Bit more single track back to the cars and by this time the heat (even up there!) was getting a bit over the top! Once back there was much stripping without the cool pole dancing music to reveal naked pale pruney looking men trying to cool off and much spouting about the OBT site and pointing at appropriately placed stickers!!!!
Then the traditionalstop at the Mt Vic pub for only one beer it was that hot and one of us had turned into a ‘d1ckhead magnet’ so it was time to leave….
That’s it pretty much…I now need a new de-compressor cable and one of those adjuster doovalackies on the brake lever but managed the ride with little damage…
Wonder if the new blokes will come back out with me again???
