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Still going strong at 21,000klm
No sign of fuel pump issues or any problems at all really …
Nor have the rear fuel tank mount bolts caused any problems yet. I think the Touratech racks with the double supports to each pillion peg mount help to support the load carrying and reduce the load on the mounts considerably.Just completed the 2 Day Nav ride with some of Old Bulls Finest ad filmed by Runsoakedstudios :laugh:
And despite my suspension being set too firm, it still performed pretty well I reckon
Thinking I might fit some bar risers to make the standing position a little more comfy, my arms suffered a bit over 1170klm in 2.5 days :dry:All stripped of ADV gear and cleaned up yesterday
I can see it hanging around for a few years yet
:laugh: No Probs Boulder,,,
If you remember, Ace & I were already parked having a snack and pointed in that direction on the trail as you guys arrived :whistle:
We had briefly discussed the option and if the other way was the go, then you blokes rolled Up & away we went :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:Up into the Erzberg hills
Cheers mate, hope to ride with you guys again soon …..
Good Work Maso
Shame about the wet weather,, we could have done with some of it on our ADV 2 day nav ride (it was dusty as hell) :laugh:Keep us informed mate on the fuel situation please ,,,
Not long till lift off on the nort coast adventure :woohoo:Cheers
Sunday saw us up early again (well most of us anyway) :laugh:
There was a meeting organised at the top of Mount Panorama to watch the sun shine over what really is a beautiful area. I led Amy & Wigster up through the city and we wound our way to the top near McPhillamy Park where TB, PTW, Lefty & Dejay were leaning over the wall taking in the scenery and listening to the roar of big thumpers climbing the mountain
A few pics were taken and then the rest of the clan arrived, minus Toes, Moose & you guessed it Kram,,,, Strucky came up for his first visit to the track and wanted a couple of happy snaps, so I obliged, one at the top and one on Pit Straight..Then it was on, the run out of the city to find the Bridal Track. I have been keen to do this one for a few years and am really glad I got to do it with the gang, it is truly awesome, windy, rocky, narrow in places with huge drop offs, but most of all it gives you a feeling of being in the wilderness. Stopped here and there to marvel at some of the convict built walls and let the dust settle.
We Made it to Hil End in good time, too good in fact as it was only 8.30 and nothing was open, no food or fuel till 9 or later :blink:So it was a dash then by the group to Rylstone for brekky at a cafe. We all gathered in the middle of the road (that is the parking spot available) and the girls brought a procession a Bacon & Egg Rolls, coffees and I suppose the odd Latte over to the hungry masses (minus the Wauchopians) they were miles behind and probably just getting going from Bathurst at that stage :laugh: :laugh:
The next stretch was interesting indeed, a mix of back farm roads, all dirt with sketchy marble gravel, dust, more dust & the odd patch of white powder bulldust that caused me to stop in the middle of the road more than once. Lefty actually said that he did the same when all turned white :pinch:
At the next stop which I think was near Breakfast Creek (Owls` Nest area) we gathered again, swapping laughs & tales of dusty bits, tom foolery & the odd near miss, including PTW clippig a kangaroo at speed
Then we had the long stretch towards Bylong and the Valley Road that is very scenic but it had become quite hot & windy in places that was drying us out pretty quick.
Was somewhat relieved that my reserve light came on as I turned into Apple Tree Flat, this meant I had made it from Rylstone on the standard tank and had my 8ltr bladder to get me across the Commission Rd & Yango to Laguna. I poured the contents in at the second gate and then came across TB`s front runners chatting to Ace in the shade.So across the range we climbed, weaving up & through one of the best riding areas we have in the Hunter I reckon. However, I was beginning to tire in the heat and started to do stupid stuff. Running wide, feet slipping off the pegs and I was running low on water. I stopped again and stripped off the jacket and rode only in the armour which was heaps cooler. Then my tool bag broke a buckle & kept coming loose and slipping around, pissing me off even more :angry:
About halfway through I came across the front runners with a flat on I think TB`s Tenere. Ace had gone by & I kept on going knowing that I would have the boys hammering on my tail soon anyway, so I just putted along trying to pick left lines as much as possible.
I had to stop again and tighten the bolts in my pannier frames that had shaken loose more than once over the weekend.
Then I came across Ace at the Putty Road and we snuck over to Howes Trail and though the gate before Tb & co turned up surprisingly. I then decided to strap the toolbag on the back with my fuel bladder which was a pain in the butt, but was better than it round my waist.
Finally I was passed by TB and then the rest of the front runners as well as Boulder and made my way to to intersection near Laguna where the guys had assembled for some goodbyes and to check who was pushing on to St Albans & who was going their own way.
But Dejay was missing :dry: which was a worry as he had passed me just before Boulder had and there was discussion of the possible scenarios,, luckily he had hung left on Yango Creek Rd & i found him sitting near Wollombi Pub wondering where the rest of the guys were ,,,, Safe though !!
We hightailed it back to the group which put some minds at ease :whistle:I then headed solo across Watagan Creek Rd & up into the mountains before the Wallabies became a problem, only to get near cleaned up by said peanut in a Hilux on my side of a corner… I had to lock it all up & head straigt into the shrubs to miss him and you guessed it, he just kept on going,,, Prick !!! :angry: :angry: :angry:
Stopped briefly at the Pines to put the jacket back on and send the missus a text and then Ace rumbles up to the carpark,, He had changed his mind at Settlers Rd and decided to soot it back thru Walkers Ridge to find me.We rode down to Cooranbong together and said our farewells after what was a fantastic weekend of riding, scenery and time with great mates….
Thanx to All, you all made it a great time & I look forward to some more stories of other guys adventure
Trailboss wrote:EAGLE`02 wrote:I round the halfway bend climbing up to see a DR on it`s side in the rocky ledges & Fish doing a backwards double roll with a pike thrown in for style :laugh: :laugh:Funny how the KING of 6 x Ps failed to mention that :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Memory loss there Fish
TB
Most likely :laugh:
It was on the hill at the hard left corner we stopped at with the cars waiting for carnage on the first Hill End Ride
Sort of looked a lot like your tumble on the Widowmaker thtt Jacko so kindly reminds us of now & then
That outta give you a mental picture of Fish rolling doen the rocks :woohoo:Cheers
Day 1 had us winding out from St Albans along the riverside and out towards Colo. This is a stunning area to ride, as was most of the day`s route. We had light misty rain, just enough to wet the goggles or visors and then the sprinkling od fine dust from your ride partner made it tough to see at times. Ace & I were continually swapping the lead in sections between wiping the goggles and de fogging,,,
Before long the rain had gone and we were at fuel stop no.1 Bilpin, where some pies & sausage rolls went down real quick for brekky,,, I have never some the Boulder Bros inhale pies so quick :blink:
From Bilpin is one of my favourite rides Mt Irvine Rd to Black Fellows Hand Track. :woohoo:
The whole section flowed real well and we were running through the rocks and out onto Wolgan Rd.
This is where our navigation started to go south for a bit :SWe followed the Boulders & Fishfinger to the left and up an Erzberg hill climb, Lefty was there too in the lead I think and there was some carnage,,, Boulder was stopped on the first corner on the big 990 but preppig for another go as I went by,
I round the halfway bend climbing up to see a DR on it`s side in the rocky ledges & Fish doing a backwards double roll with a pike thrown in for style :laugh: :laugh:
Ace had punted the F800straight up bouncing all over the place to a stop behind Lefty who was a bit shocked to see the Beemer up right behind him ,,,
I was next up & played it safe but came to a stop upright in the deep rocky line just against the final rock ledge. We pushed and putted the 690 up and that`s when we decided we were off route and had to all go back down
We then took another wrong turn, or lack of a turn and went past a big white sail with Old Bull sticker on it marking a corner!!! Go Figure ,,, I think more than just our group missed it the first time too 😆
Just after this Ace pulls me up & says “How about we ditch the Boulders and go our own way, they have led us up the garden path twice in 10 mins”
We didn`t really ditch them,, we used them as a pace group later in the day & swapped the lead back & forth through the next 20 odd k of winding farm trail & many gates, it was handy to get to a gate & have Boulder there to wave you on only to return the favour at the next gate etc etcBack on route and the next k down the track we came across a gathering of Old Bulls with a WR250R in deep in what I immediately recognised as Dejay`s Waterhole 👿 👿 👿
No harm done to the WR as Amy had stopped the engine just in time and Jeffro ran in like a Knight in shining armour to rescue the stranded (more like a Knight in wet pants) :blush:From there we all pretty much had a trouble free run out along the winding trails & service line and made our way to Capertee for lunch & fuel.
After lunch was a great run through Turon Gates & Palmers Oaky, that area is simply stunning and it was a lot drier that the last time I did it in reverse on the Sunny Corner weekend in the rain.
Mt Horrible is still Horrible even in the dry,, loose marbly rocks strewn throught the fine dust, ready to catch you out if your not on the ball…Next was the run through Sunny Corner SF and some great back roads winding out to Bob`s Creek and Sherwood Rd rather than the run straight up the middle (which is what I heard Toes did squirting off on his own, then they went back to rejoin the route later in the day)
Yetholme for fuel and a mad dash on some great back roads that I haven`t been on before into the back of Kelso to the overnight stay KELSO HOTEL .
Let the fun & shenannigans begin :silly: :blink: :dry: :unsure: :whistle: :sick:Day 2 later
KING BOLLOCKS wrote:wow TB…i was just settling in with my popcorn and choc top vanilla ice cream :cheer:
Bravo
YOU would have enjoyed the real thing better Boll
And No Lattes were consumed at all (I don`t think anyway)maybe there were some at Rylstone yesterday morning for brekky ????? :whistle:
Well, My Friday got off to a great start when the boss sent me home even earlier than I was due to get away,, didn`t need to ask me twice
Got ready after a light lunch and headed over to meet PTW.
Problem 1 started when I thought I would ring Strucky to see how they were going at Freemans Waterhole “Not gonna make it” was the reply,,, they were still at Moonan Flat at 3.00pm.
Gave them some different options for a route & fuel at Laguna before they got to St Albans…Problem 2. PTW rings and his Tenere has a flat , I mean DEAD battery… SO off to his worksite to try & push start the heavy beast, which was a no go !!! :S
A guy came around and they tried towing it up and back along the service road with Pete hanging onto the tray sides of a ute, bat that was crap too !!! Luckily Morgo came back to check if anyone was onsite and was able to find some wire & give it a jump start from his Troopy. Turns out that Morg knows my old man and they worked together for 30 odd years ,,,Finally we hit Freemans & met Ace who was kicking back in the shade,, no worries he reckons.
I ring Strucky again to check on their progress and they are still outside Singleton, so I write off meeting up with them at Bucketty after our own delay of about 45 mins with Pete`s battery dramas :dry:The mad trio then hightailed it up & over the Watagans (damn the dust was thick) and out to Settlers Rd for the blast to St Albans. Love that road, it is awsome in all conditions
A few greetings with the gang that had already assembled and a few cold beverages went down real well as the rest of the ride party arrived in dribs & drabs throughout the afternoon.
Luckily the Wauchopians made it in before sundown,, and we all had a riders brief about the trickier stuff on the routes (there were some options open for the more adventurous) but some hard to spot turns & single lines off the main trails here & there throughout the weekend.All enjoyed a great feed from the pub & the drinks flowed till late (early morning hours for the usual offenders) :laugh: I think KRAM was the worst trying to mount his GPS and other stuff in the dark halfway thru the night :laugh: :laugh:
Most were tucked away by midnight as we had an early departure time, starting from 6am for some to spread the groups out and clear some of the dust (well that was the idea I think)
Light showers were brewing !!!!!!!More to come
dirthopper wrote:Yep!!…no doubt I will bump into you guys somewhere Eagle on the track…. as they are all the places I visit off and on mate.…not often enough though! Sure thing…
I will pm you when I have a ride on next (probably after our upcoming Coffs weekend)
:laugh: You had a huge grin on your dial all weekend Pete
Great times for sure , even though Chris ADV didn`t show up :silly: :silly: :silly:
Overall I had 3 near misses for the weekend,,,
1. That peanut in the 60 Series in the Watagans :angry:
2. A DR on the Bridal track on a blind right hander with 100m drop off the side :whistle:
3. Another peanut on Watagn Creek Rd in the Hilux that thought he was Ken Block on my side of the trail :pinch:
Oh,, make that 4,,,
There was the single stupid sheep that emerged out of one of ACE`s plumes of white powdered Bulldust out back of Rylstone ,, that then decided to run up the middle of the track for about a k darting back & forth in front of my wheel :laugh:Let`s go again
Hey,,, I heard that
Welcome to the madhouse Dirthopper
The Newy ratbags have been away all weekend on the 2 day nav ride that is up on the ride reports now
I fairly regularly ride thru the Watagans to Laguna, Yango,down to St Albans/ Wisemans, sometimes up thru Wallaroo, Black Camp Rd to Booral etcWe passed a few guys on Teneres yestarday on the short section of the Putty as we crossed from the Commision RD to Howes Trail, one had an ADV sticker on the front screen, there`s plenty of ADVers around the area as well as members from Offroad Explorer that some of us are members on as well ….
Will see you on the trails soon I reckon
Jeffro wrote:Just looking through the route on the computer and worked out how we missed getting Fuel at Bylong. The route went right at the T-intersection but the fuel was a few hundred meters down to the left.:laugh: Someone wasn`t listening at the brief on friday or again sunday were they ???
Thats why most of us fuelled at Rylstone,, as well as the fact that Bylong doesn`t always have fuel available :whistle:See you at Coffs mate
The Bridal Track was terrific
Happy ADVer :laugh:
Just after the ROCK :whistle:
Reliable Ponies
Not Honda`s (sory MT) :laugh:
OLD BULLS onthe Bridal
Out near the OWLS Nest :whistle:
Brekky at Rylstone
Thats it from me,, rest of the day was a blurr and a push to punch out the k`s to get home …
Great Weekend :woohoo:
Not great quality images, taken on an IPOD and some on my old phone :whistle:
Was too busy having a slip sliding dusty rtime on the trails for oics, so here are the restNot a great start for PTW,,,, FLAT BATTERY on the TEN :unsure:
Trying to roll start it with old mates Troopy :laugh:
Sundays start at top of some Mountain :whistle:
PTW was happy `bout somethin`
Start `em up :laugh:
