[WayneMember]

Bowen Bro update

Scott got to Finke in 3hrs 31mins

But I think maybe Stuart ran out of time by not completing the down leg within 4 hours.

Hope all is OK

King Crash

[WayneMember]

Ben Grabham out!!!

Ben hasn’t got to Finke after he cleared the last check point at Mt Squires.

Toby Price was the quickest to arrive at Finke by 10 minutes!!!!! 10 minutes!!!!!!! The only one to finish day 1 in under 2hours!

Jason Hill DNF’ed before the 1st check point!
Phil Lovett finished in 73rd

The Bowen boys are still travelling. Scott is passed the final check point with only Finke to go.
Stuart may have had a little hold up after the 2nd checkpoint at Bundoomba (this is only provisional info – may just be slow updating the website) There still flying the OB flag!

More later

King Crash

[WayneMember]

Just went through the Prologue results:

I think Stuart had some dramas, because he came in in position 478. Hope he and the bike are OK.

Scott did well to be starting in pozzy 282.

I see Ben Grabham on a 505KTM is 1st. Only seconds behind are Chad Billet (CRF), Toby Price, Caleb Auricht, Micheal Walsh and Todd Smith.

Wonka is 8th, Jacob Smith 9th, AJ Roberts in 13th, Rod Faggotter in 25th.

The Yank, Steve Hengeveld is on a 250cc is starting at position 28th.

Grand ol’ man….Phil Lovett is in the Veterans class (over 45years old) is starting in the amazing spot of 68th. Not bad out of nearly 500!!!!!!!!

Tuffy is 196th

GOOD LUCK THE BOWEN BOYS

Race safe and have a ball!!!!!!!!!!!

The envious King Crash

[WayneMember]

menace wrote:

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Trailboss wrote:

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that is a cool picture…

f**k youre good TB :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

any one who isnt too sure about just how good TB really is, just ask him, he will gladly tell you who the man is :laugh:

Yeah, a good picture Menace…….Great would have been feet on pegs! He must have been down a little in confidence because Mal 5.1 3.0 8.0 passed him beforehand & went through the corner before him too quick for the camera man to get a shot!!!

King Crash

[WayneMember]

Thanks loyal subjects, much appreciated.
Had my last ride as an under 44 year old yesterday on Ghostriders’ property. His young fella has some cracker singles through their property. I got to ride a CRF250 and a KLX450! What a great comparo! Gee, you sure can get those things though a corner easily, they’re so light!!!
Thanks again for all the well wishes
King Crash
Happy Birthday Gili – Bastard……I was 27 once!

[WayneMember]

Well done STM. I hope you started the day with a kayak ride down a local banana plantation, off the end of the main wharf, into the harbour and a nice ice cold swim out to the break wall!!!!
You do realise it’s the last time you’ll celebrate the first day of a new birth year starting with a 3…so be a ‘YES’ man for a day!
Happy Birthday
King Crash

[WayneMember]

micknmeld wrote:

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Trailboss wrote:

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Great photo Mick

TB

It is unfortunate that Hatto is in the background in his jocks though :X

Like I told you all before…………..Hatto has a tool hidden for every requirement…I just didn’t think he’d be pulling that tool out in front of the camera!!!!!

King Crash

[WayneMember]

An Official THANK YOU to everyone for all your good wishes and congratulations. I appreciate it very very much. As Mal5.1 3.0 8.0 and TB worked out over the weekend “…..I rolled Boulder and shot Eagle out of the sky!!!!” very poetic fellas.

Thanks again all

King Crash

[WayneMember]

G’day Subjects, I had a great weekend away, thanks to all of you for combining to make it the unforgetable event it was. Here’s my version (I’m sure I’ve left bits out).

Up early (not as early as some), drove to the Blaxland meeting place. Everyone was as keen as…nobody late, all raring to go. Very fine mist/ fog was hiding what the weather was going to be like for the day!
Unload the bikes and all the gear – intros made, packs, bags, swags and eskies loaded – off we go.
Chris, Hatto & I nipped off up ahead early on to get some photos and footage of the rubbling, multi-eyed angry caterpillar snaking its way along the first powerline run. What a sight and sound that was!
The 650 was not a happy camper. It was hanging up on revs and wouldn’t rev out properly, but hey….the show had to go on. A smart bloke would have prepared properly by allowing more time to de-Condo the fiddy and test out a new (2nd hand), quieter muffler before hand – anyhow…lesson learned.
At one of the first snotty uphills that caused a little bit of carnage, I went left of a stump without enough momentum and dropped the back wheel into a massive hole that almost swallowed me and the bike. Luckily the bike pinned me against the stump which stopped us both being consumed by a hole that looked like it bottomed out at the earths core. Unluckily Hatto had his camera out……bastard. Chris and (can’t remember) helped me up and I got going again. Thanks fellas. The fog/ mist was playing havoc with vision…a few offs were had, but nobody banged themselves up too much. XR400 bloke (sirrevalot) had 2 speeds…and 1 was stopped laying down…the other was maximum revs, and was on a steep learning curve and just kept getting back up. Before our lunch stop we’d covered many different tracks – powerlines, fire, twin, tar, service etc.
Later on Chicken was on the Bluetooth slowing very quickly at the top of a dusty crest just saying Crash, get up here, Crash, get up here, Crash…Crash……in front of us was the dust settling over Krams off. It seemed a cracker….it doesn’t take much dust to hide the enemy of all bike riders – RUTS! Like all optimists say….it could have been a lot worse, it was a terrible combination of ruts that emptied into a huge erosion washaway. Kram was in good spirit and tough as teak. Although, his hand seemed to be in serious need of a chassis alignment with his forearm!!! Chicken went on ahead o arrange an extraction and Moose transferred Kram out to the tar and I took his bike out.
The afternoons’ plans had to be shortened up (because TB’s wheelie out of Capertee was sooooooooooooooooo long). With such a large group, with such a wide band of experience and ability a call had to be made to cut some ripper singles out. A good decision I think, we had get in early enough to set up and get organised. One of the most enjoyable parts of a bike riding weekend, to me, is kicking back after a great days ride, after a cleansing shower/wash, relaxing and talking it up with your buds!
The night was a beauty. Like everybody has said, it was good to put names and faces together. Although, I am still stuggling to match them all. There were so many freebies given away………how generous are the sponsors? Which brings me to OB of the year! What’s going on there? Blown away….that’s what comes to mind. I couldn’t believe it. I’m a nobody plodder that loves the bush and country and getting out and seeing it. I don’t mind having a bit of a go every now and again. Thanks to everyone that threw a vote my way. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Boulder tallied the most votes and would have won again (if I hadn’t have secretly modified the OBT rules and regulations handbook to say you can’t win it 2 years in a row).
There was a ripper fire blazing away all night. Many beers, rumskis and “start ya barstard” ‘s downed and some really funny stuff going on.
Although, I thought being OB of the year entitled you to some “royal” treatment………don’t think so (ay Mal) I did try repeatedly through the evening…..it did result in receiving some of TBs’ personal supply of Rumskis..after my beers and rumskis ran out! (Long live the King!!!)
Sunday morning came around. It was a little quiet to start with……then old “Iron Nuts” STM sprung into action………marking his territory as the Top Dog of the Turon River……He dived in…obviously issuing a silent challenge to all the other Bulls on the river bank…….”come on you bastards” he said with only his eyes!!!!! We all looked at each other and silently said “…..F*#k that…….you win Bro!”
Tough as Kram I reckon”
We all then sprung into action. Breakfast downed, camp packed up, rubbish cleaned up and all loaded and ready to go by 8.15am.
It was a modified trip back too. Some shocking rocky hills, crystal clear streams, mud baths (Muc-off baths) etc. Unfortunately, plenty of down time with a drowning and multiple punctures had the return changed as well, which was a good move, because we only just made it in on dark.

Dot points:

Did TB do any wheelies
Mooses Ker-splat on the causeway
Ollies hairy legs (on the outside of his duds)
The size of that V-strom
Kats enthusiasm and passion
Horse ladys’ hide
The waters’ temperature
The job done by all the road crews – thanks Lotsa, Tiny and Bubba.
Sponsors gifts – gold
That sweet 690
Hatto – Mr Nomatterwhatyouneedigotitbro (top fella)
Benjis – how much did he enjoy his first OB ride!!!!!
Fish probably still has the smile on his face too!
How the hell did Tiny fit into the rear canopy section of a crewcab ute?
Donnas’ (Mal5.1s’better half) effort for Kram!

Hopefully TB has something decent from the helmet camera to show, not sure. I have his standard camera, but don’t have a lead to download it and send it to him, so, I’ll have to get it to him somehow.

Thanks to TB, Mal5.1 3.0 8.0 and Chicken for combining to organize what turned out to be a great anniversary weekend. Such a well run do for such a mix of riders. Really well done.

And again, the Sponsors – SUTTO’S / MUC-OFF / WHIPPS / JACKS LINKS / MUD N TAR & 4BP MOOT DESIGN

King Crash

AN EVEN Bigger thanks to SUTTO’s for the beautiful brand new M2R Helmet/ Crown I received on Saturday night. “It’s going straight to the Pool Room!!!”

[WayneMember]

Thanks for all the good wishes, thoughts and comments everyone, it was much appreciated. Spent most of today cleaning and washing the ute and trailer that ‘Ghostrider’ lent me for the last month (trailer=month / ute=weekend) – thank you very much Wal.
I think the rain earlier this year has been a god send for the farmers, however, it’s meant an explosion in the ‘kamikaze grasshopper’ population!! Those little bastards have yellow guts that stuck like sh%# to a blanket and re-coloured the ute and trailer!! Those same little mongrels felt like .22 bullets when they hit you on your bike too!

My eldest daughter, one of her friends and I arrived at TB’s (now to be referred to as Lushes – as in Luicus Washington – that is Lushes Luicus, the crew chief in Talladega nights – as per Mals earlier post) mid morning on Friday. We loaded up, hooked up the trailer, TB commandeered the pilots’ seat, Lochie jumped in and off we went. Detoured to see Mal5.1/3.0 and headed west. Arrived at Condo, the Showground was packed. Almost 90 riders and over 30 vehicles in this years race – a pretty full field. There was such a variety of entrants – the solo bike competitor from Qld right through to the full on Factory entries from Honda, KTM and PWR Holdens. Like
Lushes said, we had to change the background & number colour on the bike before we could pass scrutineering. We bumped into Ecks and Dave, said g’day and set up camp. The girls set up their little ‘Taj Mahal’ and us boys did what boys do best……look busy doing nothing much. We checked out everyone elses set-ups and did the usual social things. We were camped next to a fella called Caesar Delfarra. His name triggered my memory; I remember seeing it in the Australasian Safari riding a DRZ….and doing really well too!
He and his x2 crew were really nice blokes. Caesar goes great too… he brained it by finishing in the top 20 – excellent effort; especially due to the fact his new WR only had 300k’s on it! Well done Caesar!
The Saturday leg started with a 40+km transport section (non competitive) to the first selective(timed section). There was a 35 minute delay to the start due to some obstacle causing a problem on the track. Nerves were growing…..Finally Off we went! I had a great start…….NOT…….I misread which side of a fence I had to turn left at and couldn’t stop in time…..smash, straight into it! I broke my fairing, crimped my brakeline, wrapped myself/ bike in wire and flipped the the map reader out of wack! Ooopps, deep breaths…..calm down…..your only minutes into it…..you’ve got 800km+ to go. I think I’m talking to myself too much…what do you think? Anyway, I picked me and bike up, untangled everything, secured the broken fairing, placed the remaining front number plate in my jersey, re-positioned the map reader with an 8mm spanner and did what I could to stop the brakeline from re-kinking in the same spot as it works up & down a million times during the next 2 days. Now, I’m down a heap of time, So lets get going. Not 20 minutes later, I’d passed a couple of the riders that had passed me when I had my early unsheduled stop. I’m catching another rider and trying deal with the enemy of all bike riders….DUST. You know that your pushing your luck…..you close right up….then you have to back off, because you just can’t see what the terrain is like. You know you have to take a chance….but there is a skill a good rider has that makes him able to pick his time by the surrounding country, type of ground etc. Well, I don’t have that skill….I’m just an old try hard that loves having a go. Needless to say…I didn’t back off out of the dust enough….As it cleared, I was sailing pass another enemy of a Cross Country Bike rider……..A TRIPLE CAUTION SIGN !!!. Now, to the uninitiated, you can generally move pretty quickly through a single caution if your on your toes – a double caution, you better slow it way down – trouble coming up. However, a triple caution – you better just about stop and have a board meeting about how to negotiate it. Well, I’m dropping into a pretty steep double erosion washaway with a ridge down the centre of it….I load the fiddy up as much as I could and clear the first, however as I hit the second, my hand jarred off the bars….from that moment on, I was a passenger. So, when I stopped rolling and sliding, I had the bars jammed into the top of my pants and I was pinned up against my favourite naturally occurring dividing device….a 5 wire fence. “What the hell’s going on” This wasn’t in my plans. More time lost – So, once again, I de-hang myself from this most recent predicament, straighten myself and the mis-aligned triple clamps up and get going again – I didn‘t have anymore off’s. The only dramas I had was missing some hard to see turns….you then lose more time finding where you went wrong and getting back on track. Day one finished, but I blew it big time with all these mistakes. However, I gotta say, the bike was brilliant. It just loves this type of running….especially those long paddocks runs etc.
They noise test the bikes on their way into impound at the end of the day. All ok. Lushes sprung into action, fitting new grips, changing the air filter, resetting the damaged bark buster, Greasing the chain, checking her over etc. Worth his wait in gold.
Day Two. The first few stages were going well. However, the front sproket driveshaft seal was p’33ing oil out at great speed! We couldn’t do anything about it. We topped up the oil & I would just have to check the oil through the next stage. At a splash and dash stop (no assistance) I stopped and checked the oil. It need some, luckily the fuel man had some. I topped it up and off I went….it should be ok until the lunch stop. There was a killer bull dust section that was the stuff nightmares are made of. It seemed like days in there. I wished I was on a quad as one went flying past me….it was so quick through there…while I was struggling. Its dust cloud just hung in the air for ever. I tried to keep moving…then I dropped it. It stalled. On restarting, the decomp cable broke. Starting a flooded 650 without decomp is very hard. It took me ages. I lost all the positions I’d made up. This was the longest stage, 140km+, then lunch. Lushes had the tank & seat off and rigged up a temporary fix – well done him. Took the air filter skin off, topped up the oil again, food, pee and rest. The final selective was probably the most enjoyable for me. Things were going great; I’d rounded up 4 or so riders and had about 25kms to go. For some reason, the bike started surging and misfiring….she was flooding and only just running. I got to within 2km from the finish and had to do a ‘u’ turn around the end of a fenceline in deep, deep rutted dust – as I was turning, the bike stopped and I dropped it. It took me forever to start the bike. In the mean time, all the places I gained….I lost. I got it going and finished. Lushes changed the air filter and I started the final transport back to Condo. The bike was still going crap. After 5km or so, for some reason, the carby cleared and back to normal she went. Do you believe it……..of all the rotten luck. Anyway, that’s life.
The Wrap Up.
It was a great weekend. Other than the last few kilometers of the 800km+, the bike was brilliant. I had a ball and really enjoyed myself. Thanks to Suttos – the Special Pirelli rear tyre they gave me, it performed beautifully (I’ll do a report on it next week).
I already appreciate how good the top blokes are, they’re terrific, I really admire their skill, commitment & courage.

Thanks to all the volunteers, the Condo 750 committee and all the sponsors. They all did a great job and put on an excellent event.

If you love riding all types of terrain, testing and challenging yourself – give the Condo 750 navigational cross country race a go……….you’ll be hooked!!

A big thanks to Lushes, Lochie, Eliza & Ghostrider. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Sorry it’s a bit rushed, I’ve got to go to work soon and then I’ll be away.

Crash

Ps. Well done to Dave and Ecks. Dave went really well. He would have finished in the first 40 or so of the 80+ that started. I’m not sure where I finished…probably near the end around 50 something.

[WayneMember]

Listen to Bunnyboy Mal.

I can just picture him employing the welding glove and throat grab techique just before Donna clocks him with a beautifully swung baseball bat to the back of his head for stressing the poor cat!

Crash

[WayneMember]

Mick,
What we want really want to know is…………….did you spill your coffee and finish your ciggy whilst you were doing all this? I mean honestly, that’s the mark of an experienced and dedicated “hot breaky” coniseure!
Crash

[WayneMember]

Happy Birthday Mick (and Jeffro)

Arrived at TB’s around lunch on Thursday. Started unloading amongst all the Backyard Blitz Invasion. Mal arrived soon after, so we started loading our loan trailer – a covered in, bogie axle jobby (courteousy of Ghostrider). Off we go…….straight to the local grog shop to assume the position so the owner could put his kids through Uni with the profit from one transaction! Anyway, I just wanted some lube and to get going!
Next stop, SUTTOS.
Mal is now eligible for a return flight to the Moon and back…….. then back to the Moon again…due to his Suttos frequent flyer points accumulation!!! Top effort.
We got going…..but, as per usual, due to TBs’ lack of throttle control. We had to refuel at the Twin Caltexs. We also had the customary McDonalds meal that everybody has to have whenever they’re on a roadtrip. Mal & I had a few refreshments to try and prevent our feelings being hurt by the constant barbs being javelined at us by TB! He was in prime form and ripping it into us. At one point TB hurled Mals’ special triple distilled, carbon filtered, custom decantered, individually bottled by a Virgin (hard to find West of Lithgow!) Specialized 4 DAY WATER (bottled in a 2nd hand “Farmers Best” 1 litre milk bottle) OUT THE WINDOW AT 110kmph.
I must admit….Mal and I were kind of poking the TB spider with a stick! It was a top trip up.
TB backed the Big rig down Micks driveway without any dramas..and there it stayed for the next few days. We unloaded and prepared everything accompanied by Pizza, Rum, Beer and Banter. A Great night in the Famous, or is it Infamous “MICKS SHED”
It’s just about all been said about the Friday and Saturday Rides. A couple of hightlights for me were:
# The Old Man Gumby putting along in his ute out in the Forest in the middle of nowhere, sucking on the Amber fluid at 9am!
# TB’s laydown is a tricky steep in, steep out creek. No photographic evidence – but we all have the picture in our minds! – he does have the rare human moment now and again.
# Spider body parts, spider guts and golden webs all over the our bikes from Ollies Magical Mystery Tour through some very seldom used tracks (I think he may have been making it up as he went!) I saw him with his Map, Sextant and stop watch a couple of times! – It was a terrific leg of the trip though – well done Ollie.
# Bollocks supreme effort on both days….it would be hard to find a more determined rider…determined to keep getting up and determined to enjoy himself…….Salt of the Earth and funny as hell.
# Boulders get off…a cracka….and then TB waiting for the Magic phrase to be uttered by Boulder to signal he’s OK…..”Good As Gold”….Once TB heard this….He dumped the clutch, filled him in and buggered off.
# Mals girly bike horn whenever he got near Murph! Quickly followed by Murph filling him in with 525 roost.
# “Reclause Man” regular appearances with undies on the outside of his outfit!
# Conversing with Mick and Mal through the helmets. Gold that…a bit distracting at times when your laughing so hard your crying!
# Mals tyre changing practice – beaut.
# Mick n Mels hospitality
# Mal warning me about a large puddle on a right hander that was extremely slippery before it…..problem was I was right on his arse in a huge two wheel drift going into the said puddle at mach 2 as the call came through! Somehow, it stayed in the rolling position.
# RiderX & crews’ supreme effort to prep. the Boot camp tracks! Much appreciated mate…..Thanks.
# Ash monstering his WR – has a top note when on it!
# How Slippery were those tracks at times?
# TBs’ coolant draining and radiator modification school…very effective!
# Great to see all from last year and some new faces this year!
# Jeffros sunglasses come hairband.
# R-her R-her R-her —- The MOOSE mating call. Even though he was worn out, he was still smiling and laughing until he finally got that little Orange Austrian motorized pushbike up that huge hill on Saturday. (Burple would have got up it 1st time!!!!)
# Bollocks’ Cake – …………what can you say, well done mate.
# Top feed on Saturday evening
# Great trip home………..TB stayed in the rear of the Falcon the WHOLE way home. A great effort by TB to not be in control for over 4hrs!!! I managed to frustrate the hell out of him by sticking to the speed limit and not having to refuel.

A Great Weekend………thanks everyone…Me and the Supertanker had a terrific time!

Crash

[WayneMember]

You think you would have learnt a thing or two in the past 42 years!!
The definition of true insanity is doing the same thing over and over again….and expecting a different result!

People ___ ______!

Crash

[WayneMember]

syco26,
I guess bikes can have their own little idiosyncracies, I know my bike hates the slightest throttle flick when starting. Must be a no throttle start or it just floods and has to be cleared again.
I’ve only done about 5000km or so on my 650, I have checked the valves x5 times….I have not had to touch the exhaust valves and have only had to adjust the inlets twice. Each time I have….be it actual or psychological, it always seems to start easier, have a snappier performance and sounds so much crisper.
Crash

[Author]

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