Zig Zag to Capertee in the wet Feb 2010

[GregMember]

So Crash turned up about 10ish the night before, I had picked up some barkbuster mounts for his new bars / map reader / Condo750 setup and these needed to be fitted for today.

It was then into the house for a few rumskies oh and it rained the whole time matter a fact it rained here all day

The alarm went of at 4.10am, went up and woke Crash, we shuffled cars etc in the driveway and left, and yes it was raining at a steady pace still
We had a slower then planned trip out the meet Boulder in the Zig Zag railway car park because of the rain, rain, rain and fog. Boulder was there waiting for us in the dark

We unloaded the bikes, it was darker then planned because of the heavy cloud cover and constant rain

Crash had a protector for all his map reader and nav gear that he wanted to test before the Condo 750 which is a navigation event at Easter

We left and warmed the bikes up, we started into the singles and then onto the power lines track which has had the arse flogged out of it by 4×4 and constant bike traffic, this section includes the big hill that cause some trouble on the biggest weekend last year. Crash got stuck in one of the soft spots that were everywhere, it was mentally taxing looking so hard and guessing what each bit of trail held in store for you.

Boulder to the rescue

He was almost through to where the track was better

Boulder having trouble just walking :laugh:

Crash underway

Boulder straight through, “Good as Gold”

Still we kept going along the power line track here are some random shots, remember the camera does no justice to how steep it is or slippery

Retread hill from the biggest weekend which we all rode straight up

We rode on and ended up at the back of Angus Place

Boulder going through the endless job of cleaning your safety glasses on a wet and muddy days ride

Crash’s flight deck

View from the top of gap above Angus Place Colliery

We made only our 2nd real stop in 70 odd kms at a lookout over Wollgan Valley

The discission was made to head to Capertee for a bacon and egg roll

I lead us down through some sweet wide singles that twisted all through a valley included some obstacles

Boulder in action

Crash

Some of the tracks we used

Hill we came down behind the tree, bloody washed out and rutted

Boulder and Crash sitting up the top of the hill that caused Chris72a and Chopper so much grief the last time we rode out there, yet in the wet we all got straight up

Warning rerun footage to show the hill as I didn’t get any to give you and idea of the actual hill, again remember it doesn’t do justice to the hill

The drama from the last time in the dry

Chicken first he rode Choppers bike up after his, see him hit a rock and do the feet of the peg thing as he comes up

http://www.youtube.com/user/obtrailriders#p/u/138/5UmrgJKkGW8

http://www.youtube.com/user/obtrailriders#p/u/136/xZAf0SNtoyA

http://www.youtube.com/user/obtrailriders#p/u/137/S0Hnk5YSyO4

There was no footage of Chopper as he head butted a head on the right hander at the bottom

Once at the top we rode back down and wound our way out onto the Mudgee road between Cullen Bullen and Baalbone Colliery and did about 1km down the road and got back into a disused twin trail covered in leaves and slippery as that went for about 15mins that had you guessing the whole time. We crossed the Baalbone service rail line and rode the service trail to Ben Bullen, this is an over grown in places twin trail that goes up and down around slippery corners with no run of or room for error. This includes a heap of sharp kicker style erosion mounds and Chopper’s hill where he broke his wrist last ride I lead out there. From there we rode a couple of singles and a high speed run along a fence line into Capertee. The fence line run has a heap of big soft puddles, wet soft sand and some wheel smashing spoke breaking ruts.

We went to Capertee servo, fuelled and had a bacon and egg roll each

Boulder played with the finger biting bird in the cage :woohoo:

We meet a bloke from the north coast with some trick number plates (if you’re into that) :huh:

Funny thing was the bike he had on his trailer, but it was obvious he had more taste then his plates made out :laugh: True

It was exactly 99.2kms we had covered to this stage and it was still bloody raining

After Capertee later I need a Rum as I am so sore

[ChrisMember]

Looks like fun pity I couldn’t have come, so hows the shoulder?

[GregMember]

chris72a wrote:

Quote:

Looks like fun pity I couldn’t have come, so hows the shoulder?

Shoulders ok, rest of me is so sore knees, wrists, arms, quads, calves been over 3 months since I have ridden dirt. No bike fitness

TB

[GregMember]

Things that happened

It was rocky in places, Boulder said he was getting hit by rocks 35 to 40 meters behind me :laugh: :laugh: :ohmy:

Crash rode over half the ride with no goggles as he had the shits with them fogging etc so I gave him my spare safety specs which he lost, only to find on the way back :ohmy:

My bike couldn’t get out of the car park this morning under its own power as it wouldn’t rev :angry: The new side plate for the wet was restricting the air so much it wouldn’t rev (because of the open side cover jetting) some quick mods and away we went

TB

[alanMember]

like them trick number plates even if there is a honda on the back

[GregMember]

cont:

So after a bacon and egg roll we suited back up and left Capertee with a fun single up to the Mudgee road at the lookout. From there down about half a kay on the black top and back onto the railway service track along the fence line that has a heap of big soft puddles, wet soft sand and some wheel smashing spoke breaking ruts it was here the insaneo meter registered a 9 + when Crash and I spend sometime on the hammer with the 650’s winding out and leaving Boulder behind some, dodging ruts and talking over the blue tooth helps to make those silly times heaps safer. We worked our way back to Chris’s hill as I have named it and none of us made it up this time. I ended up of the track but still up right, Crash stopped and started going backwards with his only concern not to scratch his new side cover graphics but he crashed blocking Boulder.

We rode back up to the top of the range behind Cullen Bullen that are very rocky and this included a hill that would be at home on a Murphsburg. Crash had a flameout so Boulder and I waited when we got going thru the tight singles along the ridge I had a nearly over the bars arse puckering moment. No sooner had I composed myself I heard the call “MAN DOWN” Crash was down of the edge of the track which was fairly steep in places. Once going we came out behind Cullen Bullen Pub and dashed about 2kms up the road and went back into the scrub to follow and old power line service track that doesn’t see much use which had a big rutted rocky uphill and a really rutted rocky downhill

Looking back down the hill

Boulder and Crash at the top with Mt Piper power station in the back ground

We worked our way back out through the singles etc to the start of the Black Fellows hand trail and up to the pass

From there we just rode some fire trail, a heap of twins including the power lines again, some narrow leaf covered twins, some singles, retread hill (which is harder going down I reckon) heaps of rutted washed out trails and back to the car park

Zig Zag station

My bike with the white wet side covers

Crash’s Fiddy all dirty

Boulder already loaded

Mal 5.1 this video is for you after your safety concerns with Crash loading his bike (only because I couldn’t talk him into riding it on, he will next time I reckon)

http://www.youtube.com/user/obtrailriders#p/a/u/0/ZeZJIrVsamo

Crash and I went back to the Mt Vic pub for a beer and Rum and then home for Salina’s famous noodles, nice eh Crash?

TB

[Dwayne OMember]

:woohoo: WET WET WET,
Looks like you three still had a fun day out though,

The XR looks the goods for Condo Crash, how did the nav setup go ???
The new decals look trick too :laugh:

Cheers

[Mick DMember]

Awesome!!! Wish I could have been there. I recognise one of those hills from when we came across ol mates and their hi lux in trouble on the way home from Hill End..

Great report.

[WayneMember]

Great report Guru!

Thanks for picking up those parts for me and housing me for the evening.

A couple of omissions

You didn’t mention the 15+ landrover owners on their expedition….the one in particular that came within a gnats nut from sending it over the edge of the track and down the mountain side!!! We could hear his dinger slamming shut as he nearly lost control.!!

Or the 888 being dropped a couple of times either!

How good is Boulder? He just keeps on keepin’ on!

You found some great new (to us) tracks again and just threaded them all together seemlessly…..Great ride!!!!

The new trip meter set up and roadbook went well. I need to modify the routing of my front brakeline and decomp. cable…but other than that, alls well.

Thanks again to Boulder for coming along……Solid as and Good as GOLD. (dispite the atrocious conditions, we didn’t even think of ringing him..because we just knew he’d be there)

Thanks again TB and Salina.

Crash

[GregMember]

crash wrote:

Quote:

Great report Guru!

A couple of omissions

You didn’t mention the 15+ landrover owners on their expedition….the one in particular that came within a gnats nut from sending it over the edge of the track and down the mountain side!!! We could hear his dinger slamming shut as he nearly lost control.!!

Or the 888 being dropped a couple of times either!

How good is Boulder? He just keeps on keepin’ on!

You found some great new (to us) tracks again and just threaded them all together seemlessly…..Great ride!!!!

The new trip meter set up and roadbook went well. I need to modify the routing of my front brakeline and decomp. cable…but other than that, alls well.

Thanks again to Boulder for coming along……Solid as and Good as GOLD. (dispite the atrocious conditions, we didn’t even think of ringing him..because we just knew he’d be there)

Thanks again TB and Salina.

Crash

I cant tell the whole story, yeah the city 4x4s nearly had a big drama of the side of the mountain :laugh:

Yeah the Fiddy had two lay downs, once in first gear and a branch stuck me in the armour and it feel over but I held the clutch in The other well you know that was your fault and I was stopped or close enough anyway, next time I will take your advice and T bone ya :laugh: :laugh:

Boulder is amazing the eveready bunny

Mate that ride is amazing and I am thinking about doing that and overnight stay at Sofala for say 15 all the good tracks from today and the Turon run

TB

[Brendon CarreMember]

Driving down the F3 with wipers going flat out and a speed of 60k wasn’t a good start, people passing my old ute and giving me the :dry: look!! I must confess I did think we must be mad at least once on my journey to Zig Zag.

As TB said the riding was really good and some nice new tracks found. It rained just about all day even after TB said it would’nt and you can put your house on that!! It became hard to see even in safety glasses but the trails were great fun in the wet and we kept a good pace only stopping for the odd Drovers breakfast.(A piss and a look around) We had the bush to ourselves apart from the land rovers and a few bikes just before we got back to Zig Zag car park.

All up a great days riding and as always with OB in good company.

[dennis da menaceMember]

nice work you mad buggers :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

TB always forgets to mention when his bike “falls over” on a ride, i usually add that fact into any report he makes :laugh: :laugh:

good luck for the condo Crash!!

hope yous saved me some noodles

[GregMember]

menace wrote:

Quote:

TB always forgets to mention when his bike “falls over” on a ride, i usually add that fact into any report he makes :laugh: :laugh:

Mate if I was was to fall of I would mention it, but both times I was challenged by my short legs more then anything stopped or below walking speed :laugh: :laugh:

Come to thing of it I didnt mention Boulders same sort of drop or Crash’s walking speed pivot U turn on the spot and drop :laugh: :laugh: Shit it was slippery in spots big long two wheel drifts in places and other times you would think its all good and accelerate gently but before you could react the back was trying to over take the front and vice versa

On another note Boulder and I both ran Pirelli Scorpions on the rear as purchased from Sutto’s as per tyre deal and have to say never once did either us become stuck because of lack of drive. I feel the tyres really performed above expectation in the conditions

TB

[GregMember]

crash wrote:

Quote:

You found some great new (to us) tracks again and just threaded them all together seemlessly…..Great ride!!!!

Crash

Yeah a few new tracks and they will serve us well on up and coming Sofala weekend ride

TB

[GregMember]

Where the ride went last Sunday

TB

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