[Mick PilgrimMember]

I was driving back from Tamworth to the central Coast this afternoon about 2pm heading through Walabadar and saw 2 adventure riders heading towards Tamworth, reminding me of the great ride we had earlier in the week then realised it was Moose and Kram on their way home

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Day three – departure from Dargo

With the end of daylight saving brought another glorious day for adventure riding and what a day it would be!!!

A bit of a late start as the general store did not open till 8.00am, so after refuelling, all the bikes lined up in front of the Dargo pub for the obligatory photo session. Nickj & Motodude had done repairs to their broken racks (amazing what you can do with zip ties and straps) in readiness for the Haunted Stream Track that we had missed the previous day. :woohoo:

I took the lead again this morning (I think because I was the only one with a map) and lead the boys on forest roads down to Dawson City (a grassed clearing at the start of the Haunted Stream Track).

The last 2km of track winding down to the start of the Haunted Stream Track was a snotty overgrown and washed out single vehicle trail which was hard work. When we pulled up TB asked why I had lead them down that shitty track and my reply was ‘that is the track you had plotted in the GPS’ with that he apologized – thankyou TB.
There was a dodgy looking group of Vic 4WD’ers with large knives at hand camped at the clearing giving us evil stares but I think we out numbered them so one decided to show us how tough he was by tearing backwards and forwards through the creek as fast as he could in his 4wd. :angry:

Lotsa lead us down the Haunted Stream Track which was a single vehicle trail which was pretty rutted in places with rocky creek beds and approaches. I don’t think anyone got photos of the track as we were all having such a great ride. We stopped and regrouped after about 10km , which is about half way along the Haunted Stream Track. Nick commented that he counted 54 crossings in that distance!!! Fark
We then pulled off the Haunted Stream Track up the Stirling Track which was another great blast winding uphill for about 7km before we come out on a main forest rd, the Angora Range Rd.

The rest of the ride into Omeo was a good mix of Forest rds with a few Kms of tar at the end. Just in time for a counter lunch at Omeo pub. With bikes refueled and full bellies we headed to Benambra with as much dirt rd we could. Turning off the Limestone rd onto Beloka Rd which we followed for a while before turning onto some rocky mountain trails leading us to the top of Mt. Pinnibar. :cheer:

The dust on these tracks and roads was worse than we experienced on the Corner ride as there was very little wind and some of it was like bulldust which just stayed suspended in the air making visibility very poor back in the pack.

Motodude had a low speed drop while we were turning about on the track which put a crack in the tank of his 640 adventure. Boulder came to the rescue with some 2 part epoxy repair goop. :unsure: We waited for about 20 minutes for the epoxy to set and we were on our way again but it was not the end of Motodudes trouble. As we gained altitude Moto’s bike started coughing and farting and ended with the power of a peewee 50 (I think a PW50 would have been faster). He could not make the top of MT. Pinibar which we had to cross over to head out towards Corryong. :ohmy:

The ascent of Mt. Pinnibar was harrowing as it was getting late and we were heading up hill into the setting sun, with dust stirred by the lead bikes and dirty visors / goggles it was a challenge to even see where the track was let alone navigate the rocky ledges with loaded bikes. Nickj was powering up behind TB and had a big off when blinded by the sun which caused a bottleneck on the upward climb.
The view from the top of Pinnibar was fantastic with clear blue skies visibility went for miles. :woohoo:
Motodude could not get up the Mt. as his bike was running so badly. So plans were changed and we headed back down to him and would head back to Tom Groggin as we wanted to be out of the mountains before dark.
Moto pulled out his airfilter which was laden with dust and bashed it on some trees to shake some dust off. His bike ran much better after that but daylight was fast disappearing so we headed down the steep Mt Pinnibar track.
It was challenging to keep the back wheel from trying to overtake the front wheel on the steep skatey track as there were very few flatter sections where you could slow down or pull up.
On one of the less steep sections we pulled up behind TB who was pooring water on his overheated rear brake. You could have brewed a cup of tea with the water that did not boil off as his brakes were that hot. 😆
While we waited our sweeps Moose and Kram pulled up behind us only to be told Kram had an over the bars incident on the way down one of the steep sections. :sick: He kept his arms tucked in as he landed and hit the ground with his head so there was no damage to himself. The bikes forks were a bit twisted with superficial damage to blinkers & bits but Kram did not seem to notice so we proceeded down to the Murray river and onto the Alpine Way.

With the light quickly disappearing we headed up over Dead Horse Gap and into Thredbo village with a stop at the Alpine Hotel for a quick drink. A vote was had (I think) to continue on in the dark to Jindabyne and stay the night at Jindy hotel.
We arrived at 7.30pm, booked our rooms, purchased take aways then headed to our rooms for well earned hot showers.
A short time later most of us were sitting around out the back of the rooms having an ale while Lotsa had a fire going to cook his dinner (gas burner).
Later in the evening I think it was Kram came back out of his room saying the Moto GP was on TV which had the crowd quickly disperse to the comfort of their rooms to watch the GP race. :woohoo:

End of day three

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Day two

TB and crew left Jindabyne early and headed to Tom Groggin crossing. Lotsa, Tryhard and myself got up early to break camp but it took us longer than we expected to pack up all the damp gear.

We caught up with the rest of the crew as they were crossing the Murray river. They had just pulled Tb’s bike from its swim as we pulled up. :sick: They managed to get his bike across to the other side and out of the river.
Apparently they sent Kram across first as his bike was the lowest and they figured if he got through the rest would be OK.

The last four bikes got across safely but there was no style in it as the flowing water tried to take you down stream. It felt like you had the steering on full lock to try and counteract the current flow as you followed a long arc across the river to follow the shallow water.

Once on the other side TB’s bike was dewatered and we headed off to the Davies Plains track.
We only went about 5kms and came across a deep creek crossing. There was a group of about 20 blokes camped on the other side of the creek that came running towards the crossing as we pulled up (this did not look good, as they obviously knew something we didn’t). :S
Nickj was voted by TB to try the crossing first??? Nick tore across and out of the creek without a problem so TB went next. TB’s mighty steed balked at a large rock in the water and threw him into the chilly water where he was trapped under his steed. His head went completely under as he was pinned down and couldn’t shake himself loose. He managed to get his head above the water as all the spectators on the other side of the creek watched to see if he would drown. :sick:
Boulder and Lotsa threw their bikes down and rushed into the creek to help Nick get the bike off TB. Once the obstacle was removed from the creek the rest of us managed to cross safely.
The group camped turned out to be locals from the Cooma/Jindabyne area who were all bike riders. They had brought all their bikes across on the back of utes and had the best organized camp setup complete with kegs of beer. They welcomed us as fellow riders with hot coffee and egg & bacon sangas as TB & his bike were dewatered again. Thanks for your hospitality boys.

The Tenere looked like a pressure washer as it squirted water out of the plug hole as she was cranked over.

On the move again we followed the Davies Plains track then onto the Misery Trail to the Limestone rd. :woohoo:
TB’s engine oil was very milky so he wanted to head into Omeo to give it some fresh oil. Nickj went with TB while I lead the rest of the group through the forests down along Nuniong Rd towards Ensay. TB and Nick would meet up with us at Dargo later in the arvo.
Boulder got a flat tyre on the way to Ensay and managed to repair it pretty quickly. We arrived at Ensay at 2.30pm and after speaking to the publican about possibly getting some lunches ( as there is nothing much else in Ensay) he opened up the dining room and his wife made up 8 chicken parmagana, chips and salad meals for us. :woohoo:

The pub was under new management and the publican was keen to advertise his pub saying they could accommodate 38 people. Another big thankyou.

Another group of 20 trailriders from Bairnsdale arrived just after we got to the pub and were staying overnight. Talking to their group leader it was evident that we would not make Dargo before dark if we followed the route we had planned. We looked over the maps and selected a new route bypassing the haunted stream track much to everyones disappointment. The other group on enduro bikes had taken 2.5hrs from the start of the haunted stream track to Ensay and as it was 3.30pm when we left the pub, we would have to leave the track for another day. :angry:

With our bellies full of food and beer we headed up the Alpine Way to Swifts Creek and turned south towards Dargo down Brookville Rd then Jones Rd and onto Upper Dargo Rd and finally we arrived at Dargo to find TB and Nickj having refreshments in front of Dargo Pub about 5.30pm. They had organized some accommodation in a house just across the road from the pub with the good folk at Dargo General Store. Only beds for 5 people but plenty of floor space for our airbeds and swags. TB organized to have the laundry unlocked so he could use the clothes drier to dry his wet gear from the morning swims. The combustion heater was fired up to warm the house and dry our wet boots and gear.
While unloading his bike Motodude found his Ventura rack had all but broken off. I don’t think they are made to handle a swag tied to it while bottoming out his suspension over successive erosion humps.
Most were in bed fairly early, with three exceptions. We could hear Krams laughing from the pub across the road as he entertained Moose and Motodude till stumps. In the morning we found Kram asleep snoring on the lounge with Moose and Motodude sleeping outside on the verandah guarding the bikes. Apparently they reckoned it was better to get some sleep out in the cold than no sleep listening to Krams snoring. :laugh:

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Day one

The group of 10 riders and owl02 met up at Gunning on Thursday arvo. Most bunked down fairly early for a dawn start the next morning after a few refreshing ales and a Chinese banquet at the pub.
We got away on time and headed southwest towards the hills west of Canberra. All was well till we came across a private property sign on a road we had plotted to cross the Murrumbidgee river south of Yass. We turned around and headed towards Canberra to get around the closed road. Krams bike decided it did not want run properly and was blowing heaps of black smoke. :sick: He had problems the previous arvo and cleaned the paper filter as well as he could, but the old NX was now running worse. It was decided we would head to Queenbeyan to a workshop where TB had contacts to repair the filter. Kram rigged a foam filter in the old filter cage but it was still no good. We left him to take his bike to a motorcycle shop to get it sorted and he would catch up to us in Jindabyne that night.

We got underway again heading south to Williamsdale and crossed the Murrumbidgee river at Angle Crossing, then followed Boboyan Rd through the mountains down to Lake Eucumbene where Old Anaminaby township was flooded when the lake was filled for the the Snowy Mts Hydro Scheme.
Jindabyne hotel was our next stop, just in time to get a counter lunch while we waited for news from Kram. He ended up at Joes motorcycles where they found the choke mechanism had broken and the bike was running with full choke. They fitted a second hand NX carby, foam air filter and all was good.
The boys booked rooms for the night as Kram wouldn’t get there till later in the evening.

Lotsa, Tryhard and myself decided we would head down to Tom Groggin Crossing on the upper Murray and camp for the night and catch up with the rest as they came through the next morning. Leaving Jindabyne we went up the Alpine way through Thredbo, Dead Horse gap and wound our way down to Tom Groggin camping area. It was a great spot to camp for the night as we shared the grounds with hundreds of kangaroos and listened to the mighty Murray babbling in the background. ( At least it helped drown out Joes (tryhard) snoring). 😆

Not much distance covered today, but a big day planned for tomorrow.

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Yes its happening to me as well. It started last night when I was trying to post.
After submitting the post I get a time out message, so I hit the refresh tab and I get a message to retry. If I hit the retry button the page goes blank but the post works. I have to go back into the OBT site and the post has worked OK.
A pain in the but.

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Just spoke to Nick and they are staying at a motor inn in Bathurst tonight to do some repairs to Krams bike. Apparently the old NX had a seized bearing in the cush drive hub and they had that repaired, then later it threw the chain and did some damage. TB & Nick managed to get to the Honda dealer before closing and picked up some sprockets and chain so they decided to stay at a motel so they can repair the NX tonight. :S
Boulder and Fish both got flat tyres today and they think Fish’s DR400 might have valve problems as it is having trouble starting

I hope their luck improves tomorrow so they can get some more quality ride time.

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Omeo pub – lunch

Mt Pinnibar

Jindabyne hotel

View of Lake Jindabyne

Tantangara Dam

Lake Eucumbene

Trail shots

Lunch on the trail

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Creek crossing

Tryhard

Boulder

Fish

Motodude

Kram

Moose

Nickj

TB

Guess where

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Some photos

Departure Gunning Pub

Namagi lookout

Lake Eucumbene

The 3 Amigos – Thredbo

Tom Groggin crossing

How to keep yer bike dry

Three amigos camp at Tom Groggin

Moral support for TB after drowning his bike – all the water on the ground came out of TB and his bike

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Hi guys, just got home 11pm tonight. We had a great trip

Here is a link to Lotsas spot tracker as we split from the others this morning and the second days track will be different to Nick & TB as they went to Omeo to give TB’s bike a few oil changes to get the water out of the oil :sick: while I led the rest of the pack down to Ensay then to Dargo where we caught up again with Nick and TB

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ELQeML9QLzWWKNTReqJ7MYShWkrOutpr

I’ll try and get some photos posted ASAP

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Gday Mr Cee,
looking at your photos brought back some fond memories of when we went over there with friends about 4 years ago. I have similar photos of Halong Bay and as you say the high end boats are good. They may look a bit Junky but it surprising how well they are fitted out inside.
My wife and I got doubled back to our hotel from the docks on bikes in Ho chimin city – the scariest ride of my life. Its bad enough just trying to cross the road, but when the lights go green(thats if they even stop for the red light) its like the start of a moto GP race.
The scenery over there was great, the people friendly and the food was fantastic. Would love to go back again sometime.

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Moose wrote:

I think I’m finally getting organised, truth be known I’m as nervous as a pooch passing peach pips.
Got looking at the joblist to get Ol burple ready for 8 days of fun, then went and bought a new DR 650. Picked that up on friday arvo, and managed to rack up a few hundred kays over the weekend. Pretty good, but will tweak over the next couple of days. Any chance of a lend of that airhawk Nick? I think the seat may have been made of concrete by mistake!
Also replaced some of my camping gear that failed so miserably on the Camerons ride.
Anyway, looking forward to just getting on the bike and going.
See you at Gunning,
Moose

Thats great news Moose.
THey must put the HTFU powder in the seat instead of administering it to you :silly:

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Trailboss wrote:

mickp wrote:

A photo of my bike with all the gear on when I got home

How many sleeps till we leave????

Mick

Mick whats with the Andy Bag hanging down at the front?? I had to use 3 straps per bag when I was using mine.

TB

I had already loosened the straps to get my joggers out when I got home and didn’t tighten them backup. They seem to be nice and tight when the 2 straps are done up tight. Good old BMW freight straps

Your new rear tyre looks the goods – be interesting to see how it works and holds up to your abuse. :silly:

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Well Tryhard, Lotsa, Gavb and myself just got back from a 200km test camp/overnighter to try all the gear out.
I’ve just got to sort the straps on my tank bag but basically it all went well. Except, next time Gav and I call into Laguna for a couple of coldies on the way we wont get a bottle of “Franks Firewater” to warm our cockles around the campfire. :sick:
Gav and I did quite a few roads and tracks through the Wattagans up to Mogo and back and the gear all travelled well :woohoo:

A photo of my bike with all the gear on when I got home

How many sleeps till we leave????

Mick

[Mick PilgrimMember]

Trailboss wrote:

motodude72 wrote:

sounds good,think ill need a rack on the big girl any suggestions where i can get one in a week….

What sort of rack mate? Try e mailing steve@adventuremoto.com.au would be a start, I know he checks it all hours. If it’s genuine Scott at Sutto’s. If you have drama getting hold of either give me a yell.

Get Mickp to make you one

TB

Gavb has pannier frames to suit the 640 (came with his bike)

Mick

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