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That left myself and Dick Prisgrove as the only two starters, as most of the crew that wanted to come had other commitments for that weekend. The odd thing was that Dick and I had never met, and I think we were both a bit uncertain of whether or not it was the best of ideas, to head off on a two day ride with someone you've never met before. Anyway to cut the story short, a phone call on the Friday morning to Dick confirmed we'd still do the ride.
Friday evening was spent packing the ST1100 with all the gear I'd need for the next two days. As always, I'd packed enough for a week. (I think it's a case of unless the panniers, topbox and tankbag are full and hard to close, it's likely I'm forgetting something).
I'd also just got the bike back on Thursday after having the timing belt replaced, new progressive front springs installed, and the rear shock rebuilt by RAD shocks. So I was eager to test out the new suspension and see how it performed.
Saturday morning was an early start. Up at 5:30 am to cook a quick breakfast before the ride down the Gold Coast Freeway to Tweed Heads and meet up with Dick. Having found where Dick was staying, we exchanged greetings and then got acquainted over a coffee before getting under way at about 8am.
The great part of riding with someone new is that they know of roads you don't, and the run from Tweed Heads to Murwillumbah via a series of back roads that I'd never traveled was just a delight.
From Murwillumbah our next stop was Kyogle, via Uki. I'd traveled this road as far as the Nimbin turnoff in the past, but my map shows the leg to Kyogle as having a large section of dirt, so I've always taken the Nimbin - Lismore route.
The road from Uki to Kyogle offers some spectacular views of Mt Warning and the surrounding valley. The road surface is mostly good, but it does get rough in places (there are warning signs) and these sections warrant due care.
Once we hit Kyogle it was time for another coffee. Dick and I got the maps out and decided the next section of our trip would be over to Lismore via Tuncester, and from there we'd take the backroad to Woodburn, and down the Pacific hwy to Grafton.
The run from Lismore to Woodburn was a pleasant meander through rolling hills as we left Lismore, and then fields of sugar cane as we approached Woodburn. From Woodburn we headed south along the Pacific hwy (a very uninspiring piece of road) towards Grafton.
It was on this section of road I got thinking about our mate Laurie who couldn't make the trip. So I suggested that rather than going on to Armidale for the night (our original plan), we change plans and do a loop from Grafton across to Glen Innes, then back to Lismore via Tenterfield, and spend the night at Lauries place.
"What a great idea" was Dicks answer.
A quick call confirmed Laurie and Marianna were happy with the arrangement, so it looked like the three of us would get to share a few drinks after all.
Plans now confirmed, we set off for Grafton again this time swapping bikes. It's good to swap bikes so you can compare how yours rides to another bike of the same model. After a few kilometres Dick discovered what I was tallking about when I said my ST gets a "bit of a head shake up" when de-cellerating.
I think "that's bloody shocking" was Dicks comment. So it looks like new steering head bearings for my ST in the very near future.
Upon arriving in Grafton we grabbed a quick feed at Macca's before heading west towards Glen Innes along the Gwyder Hwy.
This was all new territory for me, and I loved every kilometre right through to Glen Innes. The Gwydir Hwy is fantastic on a big sports tourer like the ST1100. The highway traverses an interesting mixture of terrain, making for an enjoyable ride. Very little of the road is straight, so there's a bit of everything, from fast sweepers right down to 30kph hairpins that require second gear to negotiate. As you climb out of the valley floor, your witness to some really spectacular panoramic views over the Nymboida National Park from Heffron lookout, which is an ideal rest point and photo opportunity about halfway along the route.
The road surface on the Gwydir Hwy is excellent, and Dick and I made good use of it, as we had both ST's dialed into "sports" mode, and carved up the 169 kilometres from Grafton to Glenn Innes in a bit over an hour and 40 minutes.
Having grabbed fuel at Jackadgery, we didn't need to stop at Glen Innes, so it was just a case of turning right at the New England highway in Glen Innes and continue on north up to Tenterfield. This time at a more leisurely pace as good old Officer Plod and his mates were out in force ensuring everyone behaved. (Apparently there was a bike rally on near Tenterfield).
At Tenterfield we fueled up and then called Laurie to let him know we'd be arriving in Lismore in a few hours. Laurie decided that he would ride west along the Bruxner Hwy to meet up with Dick and I, as we headed east along the same section of road.
Once again I was entering new territory, and the Bruxner Hwy is yet another pleasant trip on a bike. The surface is not to the standard of the Gwydir Hwy, but it's still a very enjoyable ride.
As you leave Tenterfield the road is quite narrow and twisty in sections right through to the town of Drake, where the road starts to open up a bit more. It was getting dark as we traveled this stretch of road, so I was on the look out for wildlife along the roadside. We only encountered one roo who happily high tailed it back into the bush as we rode by, but as you just never know what lurks by the roadside on these sort of roads on dusk, we backed right off and cruised at a very leisurely pace.
We met up with Laurie near Piora about 30 k's west of Casino. Laurie then lead the way back to Lismore, by this time it was dark, so local knowledge was really helpful. After a long wait for some Chinese takeaway we rode the last few kilometres out to Laurie and Marianna's place for dinner and a few drinks, then a few more after dinner while swapping stories from our younger years before eventually falling into bed late in the evening.
Sunday morning was another fine day. Dick and I packed up and said our goodbyes to Laurie and Marianna, before heading to Kyogle and Woodenbong along the Summerland way. This time we took the Rock Valley road from Tuncester through Rock Valley, Wongavale and Cawongla before doubling back to Kyogle, and heading north west to Woodenbong.
Summerland way is another great ride, particular the section north of Kyogle. About 20k's south of the Mt Lindsay hwy turnoff we rode (rather quickly) past another officer plod who was just finishing up writing another motorist a get out of jail free card. Suspecting he might have noticed we were punting along rather liberally, we kept a close eye on the mirror. This proved a wise move because within just a few minutes officer plod was right on our tail and remained there until we reached the Mt Lindsay hwy turnoff.
From there we rode on to Rathdowney where we stopped for lunch at the Rathdowney pub. The Mt Lindsay hwy road surface is quite rough in places, but it lacks surface wise it more than makes up for with some really good scenery. The road requires extra caution as there are a lot of blind corners, the road is narrow, and it's frequented by many a semi trailer.
Having had a beer and a feed, we did the final leg of the trip to Beaudesert where Dick and I parted company. Dick was heading to Toowoomba to meet up with an old friend, and I was heading home to Brisbane to go wash all the bugs of the ST.
By the time I reached home I'd completed 1063 kilometres on the new suspension, and I must say I was very impressed with the way the bike handled. It's a lot firmer than it was, but I expected that. After all, the old rear shock and front springs had had their day. The Bridgestone 020's never once let me down even when I found myself over cooking the occasional corner, and coming in with plenty of back brake still on to wash of the speed.
Overall it was a great weekend that I will have fond memories of for many years to come. Good roads, good company (thanks Dick and Laurie) and special thanks to Marianna for putting up with us boys while feeling crook…. Hope your feeling better soon.
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