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Day 4
A day of recoveries, firstly me and others and then Deejay’s bike from the Deserrtt (say it in an American accent) so I awoke and wasn’t well, I wasn’t alone but I wasn’t well did I mention that :laugh: But hangover be buggered we rode
I read Micks quote here on the sitemicknmeld wrote:OK, I have had 3 phone calls from TB since they have hit Birdsville. The first was at 9.30 last night and TB was speaking some foreign language, although I did catch the phrase “19 rums”.The 2nd was this morning, at first I didn’t recognise his voice, it sounded like I was talking to someone in intensive care who had just woken up from a coma. He mentioned that he was suffering from the worst hangover in living memory, surpassing any of those monumental ones he has had at my place.
He said that once he can get his hands and feet co-ordinated enough to ride a motorbike they are going out to get Deejays bike as they have sourced a tyre and tube for it somehow.
I wasn’t the only one that looked like death warmed up slightly
We walked across the road to the Birdsville Bakery and had a camel pie etc and slowly started feeling better. Deejay had sourced a Kenda tyre for $170, normally $70 here but cheap there if you get my drift
Ok so we removed Fish’s rear wheel E09 fitted (remember it had been run flat for a while the day before) It was also showing signs of low pressure, high speed running and rocky tracks :blink:
The tyre was thrown on krusty’s rack, Deejay jumped on Nick’s bike, with Lotsa and I followed for fun.
Off we trundled about 40kms out into the Deserrtt (say it in an American accent) :laugh: :laugh: we found the skid marks and then the DR hiding in the Deserrtt (say it in an American accent) :laugh: :laugh:
We fitted the wheel, put the flat one on krustys bike and away we went back to town. About 10kms from town Deejay stops with a flat rear, yup Fish’s tyre was flat. I asked krusty and Nick to hook back to town and grab Boulders rear wheel. I rang ahead and Boulder got the wheel off and was waiting for the guys. Will leave the whole Deserrtt (say it in an American accent) :laugh: :laugh: thing that happened for Nick to explain
The boys returned and we fitted Boulders wheel, and got into town, Fish’s tyre was rooted as well. He wandered across the road and got a tyre. Nick and I changed filter skins, checked the bikes all over. Deejay and Fish fitted their new tyres, Krusty and Gaz changed their engine oils. We had some beers and decided it was way to hot to go to Big Red in the cool of the next morning. It was a nothing afternoon from then on.
TB
Day 3 dawned and again everyone was up and into it early we had to head back into Marree, top up the fuel, grab some breakfast and bolt up the Birdsville track, sounded simple eh? Well today would be an interesting learning curve for all involved.
We got away early, early enough to ride into the sunrise
Nickj and DeeJay
The Birdsville track was open so it was all systems go :woohoo:
Marree Pub
I wanted a few photo of Tom Kruse’s old Leyland Badger mail truck read here about Tom
We left Marree and headed up the Birdsville track and we came across a flat topped hill to our right over looking Lake Harry. It had a rough steep climb up it, I got up followed by Fish and Boulder. Boulder made his run up very untidy because he was baulked by Fish or him being to close to Fish. Nick decided after seeing Boulders run he would give it a miss but DeeJay thought he would have a crack, he got cross rutted and had to lay in on its side to prevent it going backwards down the hill.
Boulder up the top taking in the scenery
View from the top
If you look close you can make out the guys, shows how high and far away the hill was
We continued on towards Birdsville and soon came across the by-pass out to the Cooper Creek ferry. The ferry hadn’t been going for many years. The Cooper Creek Ferry re-commenced operations on 22 June 2011. The ferry previously operated for over 7 months until late January 2011 when it was decommissioned. Cooper Creek crosses the Birdsville Track 137 kilometres north of Marree.
During the recent operations the ferry transported over 6,000 vehicles and more than 18,000 passengers. The re-commissioning of the ferry comes with minor modifications that now allows longer vehicle / trailer combinations to be transported to a maximum of 9.8 metres (previously 7.8 metres).
We had been told that after the Birdsville races recently there had been a 2 and a half day wait to get across on the ferry.
Ferry facts
Here are selected details about the ferry and its operations:
• powered by two 15 hp outboard motors fitted on either side of the vessel
• guided by cables between the banks
• deck size – 9.8m long x 2.9m wide
• overall deck width – 7.5 m wide
• crossing channel – 300m wide x 3m deep.
Previous ferry operation information
• Cooper Creek floodwaters reached the Birdsville Track on 1 June 2010 for the first time in 20 years.
• Ferry operations commenced on 8 June 2010.
• The Birdsville Track floodway remained closed to all vehicles for approximately 7 months.
• The Cooper Creek Ferry was decommissioned on 21 January 2011.
• The Ferry transported a total of 6,174 vehicles, 18,901 passengers and completed a total of 9,757 crossings.
• The busiest day was 1 September 2010 when a total of 98 vehicles were transported.When we arrived we waited for krusty and Gaz, they were sweeping today but seemed to be taking an extra long time. The guy running the ferry said he could take all 9 off us a once so some off us may as well go across. I wanted to get to Mungerannie Roadhouse and readjust my now seated steering head bearings so I went with DeeJay, Nick and Boulder.
You had to have / hold a life preserver
Out board motor each side
Deejay, Nick and Boulder
We had been told there was sand on the other side and to watch out for a caravan jockey wheel that had been lost on the track :huh:
We humped into Mungerannie Roadhouse and I proceeded to strip and adjust the steering head bearings, Deejay and I whilst pulling the triple clamp apart dropped a large washer which after stripping the bike many a time couldn’t be found. So with the help of the locals and other travellers we found / filed and made a bearing. Deejay became at one with ol mates workshop helping me.
The others turned up, it seems as though krusty and mufflers just don’t gel, he had again suffered tail pipe problems :laugh: ( I am sure he will cover that ) that was the reason for their delay to the ferry but all was sorted now. It was hot, bloody hot it seemed and it was here that older wiser heads should of prevailed but didn’t :blink: We suited up and got going, wanting to make Birdsville for an ale would be our undoing
We rode for about 85kms and stopped in what little shade we could find. The pace was on and it was very rocky in sections. We waited for the sweeps and while this was going on I took the time to turn off Fishes fuel taps :laugh:, but was spied in the act by Boulder. When the sweeps arrived Nick, DeeJay and I decided we would go and keep the dust down etc. We left and where getting along around 115kph when I stopped to open my pants vents, Boulder and Fish went flying past in the deep rocky wheel ruts when all hell broke loose. Nick was screaming “hold on Boulder hold on” I couldn’t see what was happening, I didn’t know if he was trapped under the bike I didn’t know what was going on! :ohmy: :ohmy: I took off and was yelling to Nick asking what is happening over the bluetooth when I saw the wheel tracks, the crossing over off the tracks and the fact that he had gone over the massive rock wheel tracks at 120kph + and not come off was amazing, I still cant credit it. Nick had seen it and was shaking his head he couldn’t believe it. I set sail after Boulder and Fish as I didn’t want Fish to beat me into Birdsville (childish maybe but passes the time
) I was really pushing it along, I had gapped Nick and DeeJay for a while the speeds were getting around the 145 / 150 as I slowly caught the Boulder Brothers. Once I caught them I soon realised catching and passing would be two different things in the dust :blink: . I got a good run out of a corner after a while and slipped past. The rocks and the rough sections continued as we headed north. Nicks bluetooth hooked up with mine after about 20 mins and he said he was riding with Boulder. I asked where Fish was and he said he had dropped back with Deejay, I didn’t think Nick was telling me the truth cause I was watching my mirrors for Fish who I knew wouldn’t give up :silly: .
Eventually Nick and I rode side by side for the last 50kms into Birdsville, we pulled up and rushed the bar, starting a tab (that was an expensive mistake). After about 6 rums and the same number of beers for Nick we started wondering where the others were. I rang Crash who checked on the spot trackers and said the trackers had stopped for a while 80kms out but was moving again. With this in mind we kept our drinks topped up and rang Crash again and again for updates. Soon the others started arriving with stories of flats and tubes and flats etc. Seemed that DeeJay had a flat, and running an E09 rear with stiff sidewalls at speed hadn’t noticed it was flat. Fish got a flat, and had maybe ridden a bit with the E09 he had flat for a bit remembering of course this is a speed with tyres with strong side walls you didn’t notice straight away (there aren’t a lot of corners that end of the track) So the fixed Fish’s flat no dramas and then Deejay noticed his was flat, so they went to fix it and noticed the side wall was damaged. They made a tube sleeve and got going. Not much further it wrecked what would be 3 or 4 tubes until it melted a tube and locked the back wheel up.Check the melted tube on the road and the skid marks where in ground to a stop
Side wall
Later Fish rode in doubling DeeJay. Before any blame is laid at the E09s though it should be noted that both bikes had 20psi in their tyres and with the weight, speed, heat and rocks would never have made it without a problem. Nick and I were both running higher pressures and we all as a group should have been aware of the heat etc being created by big heavy bikes at high speed on the rocks. Hey you live you learn
With all the sheep in we got rooms and showered had dinner and got well and truly on the cans. For me 20 cans later, after midnight, I went to bed and was well and truly hammered. I don’t remember much after 10ish but there was a bloke playing a guitar etc as always :laugh: :sick:Day 4 the maintenance day later
TBAgain we were up and ready to go early. I had the previous night stripped the front end off the Tenere to adjust the headset bearings. I had fitted a new set before the ride with Lefty’s help and we had trouble seating the lower race on the triple tree, it had seated during the day so I had to adjust it again. It was no drama Deejay and I knocked it over in no time. So back to the morning start, we were all kitted up and ready when Deejay yells ha had a flay battery. Lotsa rode over and tried to jump start it, it wasn’t working, Mickp was going on about the cables being to small being only 4mm. He went on and on to the point I asked what his were made off, he said 6mm. I said do you have them here he said yes, so I said get the *%*&#*ing things please :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Once we had Mick’s cables setup it started straight away
We rode across the sandy creek bed, and back to the road. No Deejay still, what’s doing? Nick and I ride back and it’s seemed Deejay had stalled it and wasn’t a happy camper. Again a quick jump start and away we went into the Flinders. Nick and I were having a laugh at Deejays expense as the little fellow gets dirty on himself when he thinks he has held everybody up So into the Flinders National Park
The scenery cant been done any credit by the photos
We headed on, looking around it was awesome the best place I have ever ridden scenery wise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MnKPq8Dn5E
We turned off just as we got to the outskirts of Blinman, we had ridden some railway service line again and were looking forward to the road into the fuel stop as Boulder and Fish had been talking it up, it didnt fail to deliver
We stopped at a little servo and camping area which had been a hospital 30 odd years ago for an out break of Tuberculosis. We stopped for fuel and watched as krusty scared the poor woman in the general store ** he walked in with his helmet on and ear plugs in. He was yelling asking the woman if they sold self inflating camping mattresses. Nick was cracking up and told krusty he was yelling and to take his ear plugs out **
Boulder explains the hospital
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GaZ8HvVHVE
We continued after fuelling and put on our wet weather gear as it had started spitting. We rode some unbelievable river beds and gullies. We saw the old rail line beds
We punched on towards Leigh Creek, we stopped to try and get krusty an air mattress. Went to an open cut coal mine
We contained on towards Lyndhurst for lunch and a beer or two
I wandered into the shitter and was sitting there and thought bugger this I want to go to Camerons Corner, the weather will be ok I thought.
So done there I walked out to find Nick and spoke with him, him said “yeah whatever lets do it” So I went and found Boulder we poured over the maps and decided we should see the water in Lake Eyre while we are close to it. The plan was to ride up to Marree, fuel and ride to south Lake Eyre check the water out and camp for the night.
So with the decision made it started raining I kid you not. The bloody Cameron Corner curse I figured, it didn’t last long so it was on like donkey kong and we left for Marree. We fuelled at Marree and loaded the bikes with stubbies and rum. We left and rode up to some sculptures or whatever art you want to call them
We bolted for South Lake Eyre and when we got there rode around and sussed it out. There was no camping there and if we continued north we would only be further and further away from where we wanted to go. I don’t have any photos off the lake but some off the others do. We turned and burned to find a camp on a creek if we could before all the ice melted
We camped on the old Ghan railway at an old bridge
The sandy creek bed that krusty went arse up coming into camp, Nick was pissing himself laughing, I was yelling to krusty if he was ok but his bloody super ear plugs stopped him hearing me. Nick was trying to get a picture and was laughing so hard, he has pictures
Pictures of the sunset over the bridge, the camp and the river bed
Krusty putting his still deflating air mattress into his tent
Boulder walked the bridge
Nick and Deejay doing what I aren’t sure
Old Ghan track bed heading south
Deejay’s snappy dress sense :blink:
We settled for dinner
We had all the beers etc we carried and had a few laughs before heading off to bed, everyone seemed excited about heading to the corner.
Day 2 as I remember it
TB
Well I have to start by saying we never set out for the corner and during the course of my ride report you may catch how it came about. I would also like to say I felt for Moose when we decided to run for the corner, he was with us last year yet missed it when we did get there. The boulder buttheads what can I say, Fish towed Boulder 760kms, that’s almost Sydney to Melbourne to put things into perspective.
So Deejay and I left my house on Thursday morning about 7am and basically just drove straight thru to Cobar. I rained and rained and I thought here we go again but after a stop at my sisters farm west of Nyngan and some wise words of wisdom from her father in-law regarding the weather I felt more confident. We only stopped for a picture outside Cobar and lots of fuel stops, seems the Hilux likes a drink when towing the trailer.
We arrived in Cobar about an hour before a distressed Nickj who couldn’t phone out from his mobile. He arrived and we had a few social drinks while we waited for the Boulder Bros.
The Boulders had a cartoon of rum in the car which we all demolished quick smart, rooms were organised and we headed into the pub. It wasn’t a big or late night as Nickj, DeeJay and I wanted to get away early.
We left before 6.30am and flew into Wilcannia where I needed more fuel, the Hilux wouldn’t hold 5th in the auto which was fine 4th was all gravy and cruised well. But now the gearbox would either do 5th and slow down or jump straight back to 3rd and scream its head off which was a pain in the bum. Still we made great time into Broken Hill, we had a feed and DeeJay grabbed some brake pads. We drove out of town and had a quick look at where we could get straight onto the service track we wanted to use the next morning to head out of town. Once done we trucked out to Silverton, got our cabin, used the toilets in the other guy’s cabins and started unloading our bikes. As I was untying my bike I could see oil in the wheel runner off the trailer :blink: puzzled I wheeled the bike onto the concrete and lay next to it and found the oil to be leaking from the rear shock shaft :angry: I was spewing, pissed off it was my ride over I figured. First I made all the phone calls I could to whom ever I thought was a small chance of maybe helping me out but eventually all options ran out. I spoke with Evil Rudy, he wandered off and spoke with Nick and came back to the phone and said just ride it and deal with it as best as you can. I was very pissed off with myself as I had the forks serviced by Teknik’s two weeks before and had planned to have the shock done before the ride, I had even booked it in and arranged to get it back a week before the ride. I had ran out of time, well I tell myself I had but really I should have just got it done somehow :pinch:
I told Nickj, DeeJay and the Boulder Bros there was nothing that could be done and I was out. They wouldn’t listen and said just get my gear separated and laid out so they could sort thru it and share it between themselves. I was still going but on basically and unloaded bike, I was stoked but conscience that others were carrying my gear. DeeJay and Nick helped me whip the shock out which is no 5min job in the Tenere and we tried to clean the seal and seal area. Once we had convinced ourselves we had done some good we refitted it.
Soon Lotsa and Mickp fronted, Nickj and DeeJay decided to go for a ride and see how the bikes handled with the extra weight
We waited for krusty and Gaz, they eventually fronted and unloaded their bikes, we all got in our ride shirts that Nick had printed and took a group shot before we headed to the Silverton pub :woohoo:
We had a feed and a few but it was an early night as such I reckon as everyone was excited about the next day. All the electrical were charged and we ventured off to our respective cabins, in my case to listen to DeeJay snore :dry:
Everyone was up early, it was great we were ready and all set to leave on time when I found I had a flat battery, a quick jump start and we left. A quick run on the slab into Broken Hill, few topped up the tanks and we headed out of town. We turned onto the dirt and headed along a fence line, once at the first intersection we waited for the next rider, we waited and waited. It was decided over the blue tooth there must be a problem so I rode back. I found everyone about 40 metres stopped from where we left the bitumen, in the middle of the group was an embarrassed krusty who had tried for the record of shortest distance on the dirt for a crash (don’t panic Deejay your record of 2.5m is still safe) it seems krusty had taken his eyes of the track while playing with his steering damper. During the damper adjustment he didn’t see the big bog hole and binned the DRZ, it had again damaged the Andy bags and straps. It was all resecured and we got under way and headed up the service track towards Cockburn. We stopped at Cockburn which is also the border crossing for the must do photo
We set off again and I soon had Nick yelling on the bluetooth he had a flat. The team swung into action and got it changed, once the rim was cleaned out we fitted a tube and again got going towards Yunta.
Not far up the track the crossings got rougher and sandy :woohoo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Axgqdca3g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDOnDqyEKCs
Then ol rubber hip went down, got to say but during the whole ride no one person was smoother than Mick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLNHBNWfM0Q
Then I led us into the mother of all bog holes, the video doesn’t do justice to the roost Nicks bike through out until he bogged it. Deejay and I had got through but Nicks was stopped, we dragged it out the rear wheel was locked as was the front under the low guard.
The boys dragged it to the bitumen and the front guard was removed. I removed mine also and we did a quick speed run to throw all the mud off, guards refitted and off we continued to Yunta. The trip to Yunta was basically more of the same and some bitumen when it looked real muddy.
We grabbed some beers and fuel in Yunta and headed up the track to krustys place from last year, below is the video form last year to refresh your memory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMju-hQbVkc
We didn’t stay there long and continued the big fast open roads towards the Flinders ranges.
Fish was going on about a hole in the road he had hit in his cruiser earlier in the year at the 40km mark so we rode with that in mind. Seems you take as much notice of Fishes km estimates as you do weather reports, the 40 turned into 85 odd kmsWe stopped for a beer road side :woohoo:
Eventually we stopped just short of the Flinders to camp on a dry river bed
After dinner we had a few drinks and sat to watch an awesome sunset
That’s day one as I remember it, it was around 450kms give or take
TB
Leaving Birdsville
And yes Krusty you choose wisely to be there for Boulder and Fish which was good team spirit
TB
