[Steve ParkesMember]

TB,

Sorry to do this to you (and me) but I need to pull out. Too many commitments back this end I cannot back out of.

Looking forward to the trip reports.

Steve

[Steve ParkesMember]

Great report Wigster. Totally agree was more than happy on the DRZ until that b!@#!@#f of a trip home along Bells in the dark and the rain. Needed your headlight then!

And TB, who won the lucky door prize on Sunday? Just am planning another shopping trip to Dural..

And unrelated, is it possible to get the tracks for the first day? Loved the bit into Turon Gates but no idea where we went. And would also be nice to do that last section in daylight

[Steve ParkesMember]

Can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday (although the wife may disagree).

Count me in before she notices I’m not there.

Steve

[Steve ParkesMember]

One more large tip of the hat to all involved in organising the weekend’s ride. As a first timer not really sure what I was in for, but didn’t realise I’d be grinning my bloody head off most of the way around. Fantastic mix of challenges, and the odd bit of tarmac to give us time to enjoy the scenery.

Huge thanks to Lefty for regularly popping up to check us newbies were OK. And in particular for then occasionally jetting off in the wrong direction (I’m sure on purpose to check we were following the GPS). And also for Wigster for not shaking the head too much each time I led us into another U-Turn. Seemed to happen invariably within 100m of taking over the lead.

To everyone else I spoke to thanks for making it such a great, and welcoming event. Is it too early to book in for the next one?

Steve

PS: Not sure what bike some of you were riding but I’ll guess they’re part time machines. Wigster and I were the first to leave Lake Canoblas on Sunday. We were overtaken by maybe 4 people in the morning. And yet Two Fat Ladies was packed when we arrived! Go figure.

PPS: Note to self. Stock up on liquid metal.

[Steve ParkesMember]

Quote:

Cheers Steve, excited mate? Did you have your suspension in at Teknik’s recently?

Excited?: too right.

Suspension? Not me. Instead I’ve been spending my time at AdventureMoto, slowly upgrading my DRZ piece by piece.

New fuel tank went on today, with a struggle. Now I won’t have to save fuel by turning the engine off on the downhill legs.

[Steve ParkesMember]

My shared page:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0O2FcIkQRYhQ3EKaAM00qaimfXPi9WsKZ

Steve

[Steve ParkesMember]

Lefty,

Thanks muchly for looking after us newbies.

Hopefully we can return the favour in a few rides time. Assuming we survive this one. Getting worried about the temperatures. I thought heated handgrips was the most stupid idea ever for a bike in Australia. But looking a lot more tempting now. Currently shopping for inner gloves!

[Steve ParkesMember]

I use a Spot2. Keep it in my jacket pocket.

On the last ride setup tracking and it did a pretty good job. Seemed to miss a few reports which jsut made it look like I was extra fast on those sections.

I liked the idea of the flexible messaging in the connect but did not want the hassle/need of multiple devices. Plus with the Spot2 you can preset 2 messages as well as the emergency. So I have the check-in message as “all is well”, and the custom message as “bike f**ked. Meet me at nearest main road with a trailer”.

I reckon those 2 plus the emergency call cover all eventualities.

[Steve ParkesMember]

Picked up the latest Australian Trailrider while refuelling at Jerry’s on Sunday. Nice write-up on the last nav ride. Gives first-timers (like me) an inkling of how it works. Most important point is the need to provide a rum & coke for GPS loading

If anyone interested will work out how to scan in and attach.

[Steve ParkesMember]

Thank you kind sir.

Now to start s**ting myself

[Steve ParkesMember]

Count me in please. Put an expression of interest in earlier in the piece and have since been sourcing the required upgrades to make it around the course. Strapping a 10l jerry to the back of my DRZ400 is not going to cut it.

Riding solo so anyone else keen to join me at the back of the pack appreciated. Bonus if got a Montana GPS and can save me time reading the manual the night before.

Steve

[Steve ParkesMember]

Good heads up on GPSOZ. Just visited them (down the road in Mona Vale) and discussed the whole SD vs pre-installed question.

Essentially only advantage of the SD is ease of transferring to another GPS device. Not a problem with route planning as you have to plug the GPS in to do that. And when plugged in it will read the maps from the pre-installed set anyway.

So if pre-installed cannot move to the next GPS. But chances are the next one will have them pre-installed also. So no real reason to pay extra for the card.

Unfortunately though, GPSOZ cannot compete on price for the Montana ($799 vs $599 at Ryda).

[Steve ParkesMember]

No worries James. All useful.

[Steve ParkesMember]

I went with the Go Pro too. Although purchased originally for snow found it handles the bike no problem. Friend had a contour and while image was ok, a little trickier to mount somewhere suitable that was not going to catch a branch/rock.

FWIW I use a chest harness for the Go Pro. Which works well when up on the pegs, buts gets a nice view of the bars when tired and sat down. Certainly would not put on the top of the helmet. Worst case it’ll catch and rip your head off. Best case it’ll get knocked off and you’ll never know.

[Steve ParkesMember]

Sounds great guys. Count me in.

And will check out those GPS options soonest so I can start on the wiring.

And good tip on screen size James. Not the most steady if looking down all the time.

Steve

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