Post by honestjohn on Nov 22, 2010 6:18:41 GMT -5
DOC NSW 29th Annual Thunder Rally 7-8-9th Oct 2010
The last time I attended a Thunder Rally was back in 1995 which was the first year it was held at Nundle NSW. Prior to this it had been at Lake Cargelligo NSW and I had been to lots of those on my 900SS but having moved from Sydney in 94 and then riding a R100GS BMW it wasn’t quite the same. However since trading my BM for a Multistrada I felt it had been long enough between drinks and my long time mate, Mal Cherlyn, had been nagging me to get motivated so I sort permission from she-who-must-be-obeyed, who eventually granted me leave to attend.
But despite all my planning I nearly didn’t make it as the week before I was due to leave I put my back out and was laid up in bed for three days. By the time day 1 came I was just able to get on/off the bike and, as I had prepaid my $20 entry I decided to go.....
Day 1 Wednesday Mt Gambier – Jerilderie, 650 klms. The day started out quite pleasant and I headed off around 8:00am to Ararat for breaky. After Ararat the weather deteriorated and near Maryborough I had to stop and put on the wets. This was a bit unusual as its normally the other way round (raining in Mt G), anyway the rain wasn’t too bad. A short stop in Bendigo for lunch, then up the Cobb Hwy to Echua. Unfortunately not long after Echua the rain started belting down and by the time I reached Jerilderie I was soaked. An overnight stay in a cabin at the local Caravan park was needed to dry out so it was heaters on full and gloves in the oven.
Day 2 Jerilderie – Mudgee, 595 klms. I was glad to see the rain had departed and it was a very nice ride to Mudgee via Parks and Wellington. Of note along this leg was the old 110 klm speed limit had been reduced to the now standard 100 klm, which is a joke on these roads. The Road from Parks to Mudgee is a hoot, not much traffic and plenty of corners. However the rain and road works the previous day had taken its toll on the bike and in protest it had decided to leak fluid out of the LHS fork seal. This was a real pain as it was substantial enough to be getting on the Disc and front wheel so some caution was required in negotiating left hand bends. Fortunately I arrived at my sisters in Mudgee without further incident where I was able to patch the leak with a rag and some cable ties. This would at least stop the oil from getting on the disc etc. and would have to do for the rest of the trip.
Day 3 Mudgee – Nundle, 330 klms. It was a leisurely morning ride to Nundle from Mudgee via Scone and while it wasn’t raining it was overcast and quite cold. I was glad to arrive at the Nundle Pub in-time for lunch. There were several other ralliers doing the same and much merriment was had meeting new people and telling tall tales. After lunch I rode the 10 or so klms to the rally site alongside the Sheba dams. On the way there the bike felt really weird, just like a flat tyre, sure enough when I checked it the rear was flat. I had picked up a sharp piece of gravel that had pierced the tyre. On close inspection the tyre was almost cactus. I was able to patch it with a plug but it would have to be replaced before the ride home.
After setting up the tent and repairing the tyre I was able to relax and enjoy the rally. The site is a fantastic spot, very picturesque although it’s quite high up at 1,155 meters so there was a lot of that low cloud mist to contend with. I was glad I had packed the winter sleeping bag.
Friday night and Saturday morning was a bit quiet as the majority of people arrived Saturday arvo.
It was great catching up with several people, some I hadn’t seen for some 15 years (some of whom hadn’t change a bit), as well as making lots of new acquaintances.
Day 4 Saturday, was spent just hanging out socialising etc. some fished for trout in the dam, I had packed fishing gear but my back was way too sore to do any of that. During the afternoon the locals turned up with a food van so you could buy steak sangers etc. which was really handy.
In the evening the rally awards and raffle prises were presented. At 1,578 klms I took out 3 longest distance trophies, plus I won 5 litres of synthetic oil in the raffle which was really great, but I had a fair bit of reorganising to do to fit it all on the bike for the trip home.
Day 5 Sunday, Nundle to Foster-Tuncurry, 367 klms. After packing up I rode over to Tamworth for breakfast and to check out the big Golden Guitar. Then it was a short hope across to Foster to visit my dear old mum. I had been really looking forward to riding along the Thunderbolts way to get there. Now normally this is a fantastic riders road but again the rain was torrential and with a dodgy front end and rear tyre, it was no fun at all, and, by the time I got to Foster I was soaked again.
Days 6-8 Monday – Wednesday, I spent in Foster visiting the rellies and tooling around and while I was there I organised to get a new tyre from Frasers Newcastle on Thursday morning.
Day 9 Thursday, I rode the 150 odd Klms to Newcastle to Mal’s place then it was just around the corner to Frasers to catch up with Darren Lewis, who is the Manager and an 848 racer extraordinaire (2010 Nat F2 BEARS & FX ProTwins F2 Aust. champion) who personally changed my tyre. Darren is a great guy who has helped me out a couple of times now when I really needed it. I can’t sing his praises more highly. Darren and Frasers Newcastle is a terrific bunch to deal with!
Day 10 Friday, Newcastle – Cowra 460 klms, After spending the night a Mal’s I headed off early but only got a few klms up the road and ran out of petrol. The Multistrada has a really inaccurate fuel gauge and all the tooling around in Foster had stuffed up my fuel calculations. I thought I still had enough to get to a servo at Hexham. Luckily the bike died at the top of a hill and there was a servo on the other side of the Highway at the bottom so I just rolled down and crossed the 6 lanes during a gap in the traffic into the servo’s driveway. Phew lucky!
I then had the misfortune to ride into some of the worst storms that NSW has seen in years. Driving rain, 100 klm crosswinds and really low temps, it was zero degrees C at Orange. Soon I was soaked again and by the time I reached Bathurst I was getting really fatigued. The bike must have been too, as it just died at a set of lights, fortunately it started again after a bit of coaxing, (please baby, please start, you can do it). Anyway I pushed on to Cowra but couldn’t go any further and pulled into the first caravan park I came to and took a cabin, I’ve never been so happy to get off a bike. It was heaters on full and gloves in the oven again, it dried them out but the leather is cactus now.
Day 11 Saturday, Cowra – Mt Gambia 1,070 klm, It was still raining in the morning so I was in no hurry to get going. The forecast was for it to fine up so eventually I headed out of Cowra for Wagga. Slowly the rain eased then stopped and eventually I started to get some sunny patches, however it was windy and freezing cold, If I hadn’t had heated grips I would never have made it.
After Wagga I had planned to cut across to Jerilderie via Urana but the roads were closed due to flooding, so it was the long way round via Narrandera, even so I had to ride across a couple of flooded patches which was up to the axels in one spot.
I rode passed the Motocross track just out of Wagga which was completely underwater, I’ve never seen it like that before!
It hadn’t rained for a while so I was starting to dry out but just before Jerilderie there was a big pool of water over the road and while I was slowly motoring through a jerk in a 4WD with van in tow hit it at speed going the other way and, you guessed it I was soaked again!
I was planning to stop a Echua but being Saturday night everything was booked out and I really didn’t feel like setting up the tent, so I pushed on to Bendigo. As evening was encroaching, there where heaps of birds along the road so I was being careful not to collect one but I hadn’t counted on the truck that smacked one going the other way and sent it ricocheting straight at me. I instinctively ducked and it missed but only just.
By the time I got to Bendigo it was about 7:00pm and by then I was so close to home I decided to keep going. I turned off the highway and headed across to Maryborough and Ararat. It’s risky travelling these roads at night because of Roos but I had the scent of home and a warm bed so I just took it easy, even so I came around a corner near Avoca to find a big fella right in front of me I automatically swerved and it didn’t move, don’t know how I missed it, guess it wasn’t my time to go! I had to stop for a while after that. Once I got my nerve back I pushed on and stopped for a cuppa at Hamilton and a last fuel stop. I made it home around midnight.
What a ride 3,685 klms, was it worth it, you bet, I love my Multistrada it’s a fantastic beast to travel on. Unfortunately its now sitting in the garage until we move to Adelaide at the end of December when it will get its 20,000k service and some new fork seals.
Safe Riding
John Hubner
Mt Gambier
The last time I attended a Thunder Rally was back in 1995 which was the first year it was held at Nundle NSW. Prior to this it had been at Lake Cargelligo NSW and I had been to lots of those on my 900SS but having moved from Sydney in 94 and then riding a R100GS BMW it wasn’t quite the same. However since trading my BM for a Multistrada I felt it had been long enough between drinks and my long time mate, Mal Cherlyn, had been nagging me to get motivated so I sort permission from she-who-must-be-obeyed, who eventually granted me leave to attend.
But despite all my planning I nearly didn’t make it as the week before I was due to leave I put my back out and was laid up in bed for three days. By the time day 1 came I was just able to get on/off the bike and, as I had prepaid my $20 entry I decided to go.....
Day 1 Wednesday Mt Gambier – Jerilderie, 650 klms. The day started out quite pleasant and I headed off around 8:00am to Ararat for breaky. After Ararat the weather deteriorated and near Maryborough I had to stop and put on the wets. This was a bit unusual as its normally the other way round (raining in Mt G), anyway the rain wasn’t too bad. A short stop in Bendigo for lunch, then up the Cobb Hwy to Echua. Unfortunately not long after Echua the rain started belting down and by the time I reached Jerilderie I was soaked. An overnight stay in a cabin at the local Caravan park was needed to dry out so it was heaters on full and gloves in the oven.
Day 2 Jerilderie – Mudgee, 595 klms. I was glad to see the rain had departed and it was a very nice ride to Mudgee via Parks and Wellington. Of note along this leg was the old 110 klm speed limit had been reduced to the now standard 100 klm, which is a joke on these roads. The Road from Parks to Mudgee is a hoot, not much traffic and plenty of corners. However the rain and road works the previous day had taken its toll on the bike and in protest it had decided to leak fluid out of the LHS fork seal. This was a real pain as it was substantial enough to be getting on the Disc and front wheel so some caution was required in negotiating left hand bends. Fortunately I arrived at my sisters in Mudgee without further incident where I was able to patch the leak with a rag and some cable ties. This would at least stop the oil from getting on the disc etc. and would have to do for the rest of the trip.
Day 3 Mudgee – Nundle, 330 klms. It was a leisurely morning ride to Nundle from Mudgee via Scone and while it wasn’t raining it was overcast and quite cold. I was glad to arrive at the Nundle Pub in-time for lunch. There were several other ralliers doing the same and much merriment was had meeting new people and telling tall tales. After lunch I rode the 10 or so klms to the rally site alongside the Sheba dams. On the way there the bike felt really weird, just like a flat tyre, sure enough when I checked it the rear was flat. I had picked up a sharp piece of gravel that had pierced the tyre. On close inspection the tyre was almost cactus. I was able to patch it with a plug but it would have to be replaced before the ride home.
After setting up the tent and repairing the tyre I was able to relax and enjoy the rally. The site is a fantastic spot, very picturesque although it’s quite high up at 1,155 meters so there was a lot of that low cloud mist to contend with. I was glad I had packed the winter sleeping bag.
Friday night and Saturday morning was a bit quiet as the majority of people arrived Saturday arvo.
It was great catching up with several people, some I hadn’t seen for some 15 years (some of whom hadn’t change a bit), as well as making lots of new acquaintances.
Day 4 Saturday, was spent just hanging out socialising etc. some fished for trout in the dam, I had packed fishing gear but my back was way too sore to do any of that. During the afternoon the locals turned up with a food van so you could buy steak sangers etc. which was really handy.
In the evening the rally awards and raffle prises were presented. At 1,578 klms I took out 3 longest distance trophies, plus I won 5 litres of synthetic oil in the raffle which was really great, but I had a fair bit of reorganising to do to fit it all on the bike for the trip home.
Day 5 Sunday, Nundle to Foster-Tuncurry, 367 klms. After packing up I rode over to Tamworth for breakfast and to check out the big Golden Guitar. Then it was a short hope across to Foster to visit my dear old mum. I had been really looking forward to riding along the Thunderbolts way to get there. Now normally this is a fantastic riders road but again the rain was torrential and with a dodgy front end and rear tyre, it was no fun at all, and, by the time I got to Foster I was soaked again.
Days 6-8 Monday – Wednesday, I spent in Foster visiting the rellies and tooling around and while I was there I organised to get a new tyre from Frasers Newcastle on Thursday morning.
Day 9 Thursday, I rode the 150 odd Klms to Newcastle to Mal’s place then it was just around the corner to Frasers to catch up with Darren Lewis, who is the Manager and an 848 racer extraordinaire (2010 Nat F2 BEARS & FX ProTwins F2 Aust. champion) who personally changed my tyre. Darren is a great guy who has helped me out a couple of times now when I really needed it. I can’t sing his praises more highly. Darren and Frasers Newcastle is a terrific bunch to deal with!
Day 10 Friday, Newcastle – Cowra 460 klms, After spending the night a Mal’s I headed off early but only got a few klms up the road and ran out of petrol. The Multistrada has a really inaccurate fuel gauge and all the tooling around in Foster had stuffed up my fuel calculations. I thought I still had enough to get to a servo at Hexham. Luckily the bike died at the top of a hill and there was a servo on the other side of the Highway at the bottom so I just rolled down and crossed the 6 lanes during a gap in the traffic into the servo’s driveway. Phew lucky!
I then had the misfortune to ride into some of the worst storms that NSW has seen in years. Driving rain, 100 klm crosswinds and really low temps, it was zero degrees C at Orange. Soon I was soaked again and by the time I reached Bathurst I was getting really fatigued. The bike must have been too, as it just died at a set of lights, fortunately it started again after a bit of coaxing, (please baby, please start, you can do it). Anyway I pushed on to Cowra but couldn’t go any further and pulled into the first caravan park I came to and took a cabin, I’ve never been so happy to get off a bike. It was heaters on full and gloves in the oven again, it dried them out but the leather is cactus now.
Day 11 Saturday, Cowra – Mt Gambia 1,070 klm, It was still raining in the morning so I was in no hurry to get going. The forecast was for it to fine up so eventually I headed out of Cowra for Wagga. Slowly the rain eased then stopped and eventually I started to get some sunny patches, however it was windy and freezing cold, If I hadn’t had heated grips I would never have made it.
After Wagga I had planned to cut across to Jerilderie via Urana but the roads were closed due to flooding, so it was the long way round via Narrandera, even so I had to ride across a couple of flooded patches which was up to the axels in one spot.
I rode passed the Motocross track just out of Wagga which was completely underwater, I’ve never seen it like that before!
It hadn’t rained for a while so I was starting to dry out but just before Jerilderie there was a big pool of water over the road and while I was slowly motoring through a jerk in a 4WD with van in tow hit it at speed going the other way and, you guessed it I was soaked again!
I was planning to stop a Echua but being Saturday night everything was booked out and I really didn’t feel like setting up the tent, so I pushed on to Bendigo. As evening was encroaching, there where heaps of birds along the road so I was being careful not to collect one but I hadn’t counted on the truck that smacked one going the other way and sent it ricocheting straight at me. I instinctively ducked and it missed but only just.
By the time I got to Bendigo it was about 7:00pm and by then I was so close to home I decided to keep going. I turned off the highway and headed across to Maryborough and Ararat. It’s risky travelling these roads at night because of Roos but I had the scent of home and a warm bed so I just took it easy, even so I came around a corner near Avoca to find a big fella right in front of me I automatically swerved and it didn’t move, don’t know how I missed it, guess it wasn’t my time to go! I had to stop for a while after that. Once I got my nerve back I pushed on and stopped for a cuppa at Hamilton and a last fuel stop. I made it home around midnight.
What a ride 3,685 klms, was it worth it, you bet, I love my Multistrada it’s a fantastic beast to travel on. Unfortunately its now sitting in the garage until we move to Adelaide at the end of December when it will get its 20,000k service and some new fork seals.
Safe Riding
John Hubner
Mt Gambier