Blog: August 18. No riding. D’oh.

Another week gone and no riding. Bugger. It’s probably fair payback for my bragging last week about the Triumph RATs ride in the Flinders.

This week I had to spend a couple of days in Melbourne for work, and this morning (Saturday) I’ve been removing the forks and shock from work’s KLR. They’re off to Nick Dole at Teknik for a service and a workover. If it makes half as much difference to the KLR as it did to the Dominator, it’ll be brilliant.

Meanwhile, Dan Vaughan’s been on holiday. Holiday! How are the rest of us supposed to survive while he’s swanning around with his family somewhere? I have the Yamaha sitting there waiting for a new shock to be fitted – which finally arrived – and now the Dominator needs some attention as well. This is NO time to be taking holidays.

Fortunately, Craig Murcott’s still working hard. You’ll see in the pic of me working on the KLR that I have it sitting on a stand Craig fitted with some wheels. It works a treat! With the wheels and suspension off the bike I can push it around the shed and keep out well it of the way. It’s brilliant. The only snag is it’s frigging tall. Marty H and I nearly got hernias getting the bike up on the stand in the first place. Getting it down might be interesting, too.

Speaking of Marty, he dropped in this week and he’s all but finished his second disc. I don’t know if he’s more excited about the disc or that he has an eight-page story in ADB magazine. It’s a great-looking story with pics from the first disc, and it’s one he can be proud of. Grab a copy and have a look. It’s worth seeing.

In other news, Karen Ramsay is still having trouble with her Husky Terra. She was without it for three months while it was being repaired. I gather it arrived home, was ridden, and has problems again. That’s the kind of thing that drives a person crazy. The bike was new and shouldn’t have had any problems, let alone leaving its owner without a ride for months.

As I understand it, Karen has got hold of a DR650. As much as I love the Terra, there’s no possible question about the reliability and durability of a well-maintained DR650…even one that doesn’t get a heap of maintenance – just ask Marty H.

I’m in a bit of a work avalanche at the moment, so I’m not expecting to get in any riding this week, either. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, though. Anything could happen.

I promised some images from the Triumph ride and then didn’t post any because I was going flat out. The week was gone before I realised it. So here’s a pic I like a lot. It was shot by Danny ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson, a guy whose photography is really exceptional. I like this pic a lot, not because I look like a dill – there’s lots of pics like that – but as a reminder of a really great ride. The Triumph people love a spot of clowning around as much they enjoy a great bike, and the two Triumph reps were laughing as hard as everyone else when I dropped their Tiger. Not only that, the scenery is a great indication of the Flinders, and it’s a reminder to me how lucky I am to be able to ride fabulous bikes in some the greatest riding destinations of the world with some of the world’s greatest people.

Just note how that’s a flat, clear, grassy paddock, and somehow I’ve managed to deck another bike in conditions that couldn’t BE better for riding.

I’m sure Wilko won’t mind me running it here.

Wilko015Don’t forget the Scrapheap one-dayer at Inverell is coming up on Saturday, August 30. Chris Laan is planning a route and that means it’ll be a cracker ride up and back. I think Chris is planning it as a three-day including the Scrapheap ride itself. I’ll probably have to bolt up late Friday night with a trailer, but if anyone’s going, make sure we all know so we can tag up somewhere.

TF

10 Comments

  1. I am pleased to see your testing the triumph in the same detailed manner as you test A BMW.
    Trev, Phil and Dan phoned from narrabri yesterday after a successful Simpson crossing and should be home today.
    Welcome to the DR side Karen,now you will really have to hide your bike from Dave.

  2. Dave didn’t seem to think it was reasonable that he only rode it for about 20kms between Texas and home. I thought that was more than fair. He also seems to think it’s half his…..

  3. DR clearly has my initials! Love Wilko’s shot, looks like you’ve slain the Tiger in the Devils amphitheater or pleading with the Triumph Reps not to shoot you for dropping their pride n joy.

  4. Well if Karen’s middle name starts we an L we know what she should ride, just trying to help Dave

  5. Classic, Pottsy! TF

  6. Sleeping tiger,clumsey Tom

  7. Pride cometh before the fall, and obviously no riding happens after bragging about good riding. Or so it seems….

    At this stage Maso and I are heading up on the Friday, probably via Black Mountain Road, Old Glen Innes Road then maybe a wander through the hills around Emmaville before going down to Inverell. Sunday will be home heading South towards Guyra on a few roads I have spied on the mighty Google then back zig-zagging towards Ebor.

    Should have a better plan towards the end of the week if anyone wants more details, let me know.

  8. My middle name starts with a J…..so there goes that theory Pottsy.

  9. Sorting out the front fork suspension made the biggest of all the things i did to my KLR just stopping the bottom outs was a big deal but if you can go better than that youll be golden (i used Progressive springs and intiminators suspension valves)
    Be warned tho the rear will feel lack luster after you upgrade the front… thus is the cycle of the broke biker :p

  10. Doing both ends, Jonah. No messing about for KLR owners! TF

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