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Australian FJowners 2017 Rally

Started by roverfj1200, November 15, 2016, 01:25:35 AM

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Sparky84

Quote from: oldktmdude on March 16, 2017, 04:22:20 AM
    On the way home we stopped at Mudgee to check out the venue for next year. It should be a good one. We also went through great pain and hardship to ride most of the 2018 Rally Route, I don't think anyone will be disappointed.
  Regards, Pete. Roll on 2018!   :drinks:  

What is the Venue for Mudgee? or where you just checking Mudgee itself out to see what's there?

Cheers Alan
1984 FJ1100
1979 Kawasaki Z1300
1972 Honda CB750/4 K2

oldktmdude

   G'day Alan, we were checking out a venue that we have stayed at several times in the past. It has recently been refurbished, should be a great venue. There may be one or two other contenders for the Rally venue so the announcement won't be made just yet. I know the area very well as I lived in that area back in the early/mid eighties. Great place to spend a few days.
  Regards, Pete.
1985 FJ1100 x2 (1 sold)
2009 TDM 900
1980 Kawasaki Z1R Mk11 (sold and still regretting it)
1979 Kawasaki Z650 (sold)
1985 Suzuki GSXR 400 x2 (next project)
2001 KTM 520 exc (sold)
2004 GasGas Ec300
1981 Honda CB 900 F (sold)
1989 Kawasaki GPX 600 Adventure

ribbert

Quote from: oldktmdude on March 16, 2017, 04:22:20 AM

......We also went through great pain and hardship to ride most of the 2018 Rally Route....
 

Bloody decent of you Pete to take one for the team like that!

Noel
"Tell a wise man something he doesn't know and he'll thank you, tell a fool something he doesn't know and he'll abuse you"

oldktmdude

Quote from: ribbert on March 18, 2017, 06:47:14 AM
Quote from: oldktmdude on March 16, 2017, 04:22:20 AM

......We also went through great pain and hardship to ride most of the 2018 Rally Route....
 

Bloody decent of you Pete to take one for the team like that!

Noel
You know how it is mate, somebody's got to do it. How was your ride? Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you on Sunday morning. Thanks for making the effort to attend. With the way it went on the weekend, I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you. Next time!
   Regards, Pete.   :drinks:
1985 FJ1100 x2 (1 sold)
2009 TDM 900
1980 Kawasaki Z1R Mk11 (sold and still regretting it)
1979 Kawasaki Z650 (sold)
1985 Suzuki GSXR 400 x2 (next project)
2001 KTM 520 exc (sold)
2004 GasGas Ec300
1981 Honda CB 900 F (sold)
1989 Kawasaki GPX 600 Adventure

Sparky84

Quote from: oldktmdude on March 18, 2017, 06:10:31 AM
I know the area very well as I lived in that area back in the early/mid eighties. Great place to spend a few days.
  Regards, Pete.

G'day Pete
It is a Great place, a good mates parents moved up there in the late 70's and built a big barn to house their caravans in while they built their house out near Frog Rock.
So we'd be out there every couple of weekends, it was a tough ride early as all I had was a XL250.
We were still going there til the mid 80's, we might have even bumped into you as some stage.
Haven't been there for some years, might take a trip via Bathurst, Sofala to Mudgee.

Cheers Alan
1984 FJ1100
1979 Kawasaki Z1300
1972 Honda CB750/4 K2

Bozo

Thanks X Ray, can't wait to get the FJ here for some rides, I'm getting tired of opened the door to stick my foot out on my Kolios when going around corners.
First major bike in my life was a Mach III widow maker.
My Second permanent bike 1978 Z1R (owned since Dec 1977)
My Third permanent bike is the 89 FJ12 - nice and fast
Forth bike 89 FJ12 my totally standard workhorse
81 GPZ1100 hybrid - what a bike, built to sell but I can't part with it

roverfj1200

 :Facepalm:
Quote from: Bozo on March 19, 2017, 03:52:19 AM
Thanks X Ray, can't wait to get the FJ here for some rides, I'm getting tired of opened the door to stick my foot out on my Kolios when going around corners.
:Facepalm:
1988 FJ1200
1991 FJ1200

Richard.

ribbert

Quote from: Bozo on March 19, 2017, 03:52:19 AM

........I'm getting tired of opened the door to stick my foot out on my Kolios when going around corners.




Noel
"Tell a wise man something he doesn't know and he'll thank you, tell a fool something he doesn't know and he'll abuse you"

Bozo

If it wasn't for the car colour I swear you took a photo of me going to the rally. The only problem is................where are the cops?
First major bike in my life was a Mach III widow maker.
My Second permanent bike 1978 Z1R (owned since Dec 1977)
My Third permanent bike is the 89 FJ12 - nice and fast
Forth bike 89 FJ12 my totally standard workhorse
81 GPZ1100 hybrid - what a bike, built to sell but I can't part with it

ribbert

It's not often my bike needs an oil change less than a week after the last one but last week this was the case, 5186 km to the rally and back in 6 days. This would have been fine had I not chosen the most mountainous, twisty roads I could find.






Going wide is not an option on these roads unless you're wearing a parachute


Average speeds are low on these roads and lead to a few very long days and more night riding than I was comfortable with (that would be any night riding these days). There was not a single road travelled that didn't have enough roo carcasses lining it to remind me of the wisdom in this. I saw enough through the day that couldn't tell the time as it was. Then there's deer, wombats, brumbys, emus, wandering sheep and cattle and rock falls. Even cute cuddly Koala's can be found just sitting in the middle of the road at night, and they don't scamper off, they just sit there. I have previously stopped and removed them from the road, this is something only a motorcyclist wearing head to toe protective clothing should attempt - cuddly my arse!

The ride over Australia's highest mountain takes a steep, forested climb from any direction.....



Snow gums above the snow line.







...and is rewarded at the top by a plateau with roads like I have never found elsewhere. !00mph + corners one after the other on billiard table smooth roads. Sort of like ascending into motorcycle heaven.



I didn't know it was even possible to engineer roads this smooth and the treeless, tundra-like landscape affording views right through the sweepers and of the road well ahead. Klavdy was in awe of these roads when he wrote about them a while back, and he's been around.
In the first 6 hrs riding that day I saw two caravans, one truck and handful of hydro electric service vehicles, that's it, I virtually had it to myself. No Police car is going to patrol a road with so little traffic.

Google maps made it possible to plan a great route almost entirely on secondary roads and having set the GPS to "shortest" rather than "fastest" and letting it have its head, it took me on some wonderful roads that I doubt you would even find on a statewide map, let alone consider taking them.
Allowing the GPS to have its way added another level of adventure to the trip. I knew where I would end up but how I got there was a mystery only revealed at the time, turn by turn.



This is an example of where it took me when I was expecting a leg of 4 lane interstate. I rode this for several hours and never did get back to the highway.


The daily distance target allowed little time for photos and no time for breakdowns. I carried my usual kit of spare ignition box, one coil and leads, fuel pump, puncture kit, compressor and enough tools to build a lunar landing module by the side of the road.
However, I had not counted on this.





I happened to be looking at my instruments when the remote pressure sensor updated, 41psi, good. Just as I looked away the warning light started to flash and a second later I could feel the bars getting heavy.
By the time I stopped the tyre was dead flat. There is some dispute with the fitter over whether it was replaced with the last tyre change (which it should have been), but even if it wasn't, it's only a year old! With the remote tyre monitor I do not physically check my pressures and only handle the valve when adding air and that would only be a couple of times at most. Even then I always support it from the back. The tyre guy tells me he gets them from Italy and they are not Chinese junk. This could have been a disaster in so many places I had ridden the last few days. Geez, it could have been a disaster 5 seconds earlier!
I taped it up with magic tape and carefully inflated it to 20 psi, this stemmed the pressure loss to about 1 psi/min. I rode to the next town on the side of the road at about 60kph.
A chance meeting with a helpful local found a bike shop prepared to fix after hours on a Friday night. He not only did so, but did it cheerfully. Despite being at least my age and having worked on bikes all day long for most of his life, he still had a passion for them and among many of his own bikes in his shop was a BMW he bought new in '73 and had covered 800,000km on. By 7.30 he had finished and charged me the princely sum of $40 - including a metal stem. Good man.



A first time event I hope never to repeat, my bike in someone else's workshop.


I now had 200km of roo country to ride through in the dark. Being the first proper ride of any distance with my auxiliary lights, I could not believe just how good they are. It's like riding in a ball of daylight. I took little comfort in the knowledge that I could to describe in detail the roo that took me out should I be that unlucky.

I arrived at  the rally venue at 10.30 pm to a suitably "primed" gathering. Doug (the General) had worked his charm on the hotel staff and had a hot meal waiting for me. Being the gentleman he is, he had kept his meal on hold as well so I wouldn't be dining alone. I salute you General.

Delayed by a couple of phone calls, I missed the start of the rally ride next morning and Doug texted the details to me. I did several hundred Km's, never found them until lunch and ended up here.



Perhaps I should have paid him back for the meal on the night.

FJ camaraderie was on show everywhere. Marks bike failed to proceed on the return ride after lunch and Richard had it back a rally HQ on a flat top before some of the riders had even arrived. A team of experts, with Pete at the helm, swung into action, tools in one hand beer in the other (is there any other way) and had it running again in no time fixing a problem that certainly would have stopped the bike in it's tracks at some stage in the very near future and most likely in far less convenient circumstances.
When about to order dinner I became aware that I had lost the one credit card I travel with. Troy immediately paid for my dinner and helped me look for my card. When it appeared it would not be found, he offered me one of his to travel home on and of course Doug's catering arrangement the night before and no doubt many other examples I am unaware of, great folks one and all.

This is the spirit of FJdom.

It was great to see so many wives and partners turn up, proving that FJ riders good taste is not limited to their choice of bike and it was good to meet members with whom I have been corresponding for years but never met and to catch up with those I had. The weekend was not long enough and there were some I didn't even get to meet and I would have liked more time to spend with everybody.

Knowing the pitfall of the Sunday breakfast, I forced myself to bypass it and head straight off as I had a big day ahead of me and it was hot and only going to get hotter, and humid.

I consider myself the luckiest attendee as I got to ride the furtherest to get there and of all those that travelled any distance, I seem to be the only one that didn't get wet. The return trip saw me one day ahead of the weather all the way, vindicating by decision to leave early. Towns I had passed through under blue skies getting up to 3" of rain the day after.



This could easily have been me


I was sitting outside my motel room on my last night on the road reflecting on a magnificent few days, refreshed by a shower after another hot day in my riding gear, relaxing with a drink and enjoying the light, balmy breeze blowing over me when Mother Nature unleashed the entertainment. Magnificent thunderstorms, horizon to horizon lightning only about 20km away and a front row seat, how good does it get.



This was the view within 10 mins of leaving next morning and only got better


The FJ went like a beauty. Time did not allow for any prep before the trip other than an oil change. I hadn't even washed it since returning from Bermagui in November and haven't put a spanner to it for a couple of years (40k). It used only a 1 litre of oil for 5000km and has 235,000km on it and still goes like the clappers.

Thanks to everyone for a great weekend, it was too short though.

Roll on Mudgee, I already have a route planned.

Some photos from the rally.



Darren and Richard conducting the famous Rally Raffle




Alf having just found out the "Distance" trophy was for the longest ride, not the longest slide




A cholesterol raising lunch being enjoyed by all on the rally ride.




Arnie brought a bit of FJ history (as well as the best head of hair) to the rally




Darren lives in hope that one day he'll be quicker than the flies




Troy striking his best "Alex Perry" pose for the camera  (Alex Perry wishes he looked this much like himself)




Come to an FJ Rally they said, it'll be fun they said, it won't all be about FJ's they said..........




About the only positive thing the govt does for motorcyclists is identify all the good roads




You know what they say, in America they drive on the left of the road, in Australia we drive on what's left of the road.




A mandatory lap of Mount Panorama. I always forget how steep it is




More magnificent roads




The one on the left appears to be suffering from either a head injury or a fashion faux par. The one of the right, well, she looked just fine! They were in a group of about 15 riding 50's and 60's vintage bikes and one recovery vehicle, a twin cab with a trailer. Casting an eye over their bikes, they might end up drawing straws over trailer space by the end of their trip.

This was at the Grey Gum Cafe on the Putty Road as was the visor cleaning station below.







4000km down, 1000km to go.


What a weekend, what a ride, what a bike.



Noel



"Tell a wise man something he doesn't know and he'll thank you, tell a fool something he doesn't know and he'll abuse you"

TexasDave

Thanks for posting the great pics Noel. As far as bike shops go that was one of the cleanest I've seen.

Dave
A pistol is like a parachute, if you need one and don't have one you will never need one again.

big r

Look like an awesome ride. Love the pictures Big R
:good2: :good2:

FJmonkey

Very nice Noel, thanks for sharing some of your trip.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

simi_ed

Noel, great write up, and pix of a great ride and a nice set of pix & appropriate comments about the down under rally!  

Not being 'down under' I had no idea who Alex Perry is.  After a quick look, I didn't realize that this famous footballer was also a FJ rider/owner and also a helicopter pilot to boot.


Quote from: ribbert on March 28, 2017, 08:31:15 AM



Troy striking his best "Alex Perry" pose for the camera  (Alex Perry wishes he looked this much like himself)


Looks like a great time was had by all! Thanks for sharing.

Ed

-- RKBA Regards,

Ed
===
Ed Thiele 
Simi Valley, CA -- I no longer have SoCal manners.
'89 FJ12C (Theft deterrent Silver/White)


- All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for
enough good men to do nothing.

- Edmund Burke

X-Ray

Another fantastic write up Noel, thanks for the pics! :good2:   I was waiting for the photo that had a dirt road in it, you didn't dissapoint . :bye2:   Every time I see your photos I can appreciate why you prefer to ride alone ; stop where you like for photo taking, and go at your own pace. Love it!

As you said, bring on Mudgee.  ( 235000kms on the FJ, I didn't know that!!)

Well done mate  :good2:
'94 FJ1200 Wet Pale Brown
'93 FJ1200 Dark Violet/Silver
'84 FJ1100 Red/White

'91 FJ1200 Dark Violet/Silver ( Now Sold)
'92 FJ1200 Project/Resto Dark Violet/Silver (Now Sold)






For photos of my rear wheel swap, heres the link  https://www.flickr.com/gp/150032671@N02/62k3KZ