Wednesday, June 30, 2021

The Magnificent Seven and Taralga 20 June 2021

Like the movie, seven motorcyclists from seven backgrounds were brought to together by the Ulysses Club on a cold Canberra winter’s day to protect their diminishing youth from the demoralising powers of ageing, hypertension and incontinence. I’m not sure if we succeeded but we certainly gave it a shot on our Sunday ride to Taralga.

The Magnificent Seven turned up at the Watson BP on a day that could only be described as bleak. But we were not about to let a little wind and single digit temperature ruin what is always a magnificent ride through the Upper Lachlan Shire. One by one we turned up on our pride and joy ready to release some endorphins on some of the best twisty roads in the region.

Maritta arrived early, as all good leaders do, on her Kawasaki Vulcan 900 with about five layers of clothing and tea cosy which eventually found its way onto her head. The old girl (the bike) looked primed to go but one could sense Maritta hands were not going to fare well in the cold wind. My arrival on the Moto Guzzi California 1400 was of course modest and graced with Italian flare and style. Like Hansel and Gretel in a gingerbread house Kevin (a Yul Brynner look alike) and Andrew always turn up for a ride, meal and a good chat. In fact the Luftwaffe (BMWs) were in short supply with only two turning up. The Bavarian boys are usually more dominant in their presence. 

Kris shimmied up on her mean looking Hayabusa. I don’t know what it is but there’s something about a Hayabusa that oozes confidence. With a rider like Kris who has completed many rider training courses and race track meets it’s no wonder we were all impressed. Fun fact – Hayabusa is Japanese for Peregrine Falcon or Blackbird killer. Not sure if that is meant to be a dig at Honda. 

George and his Triumph Tiger soon took on the persona of Inspector Gadget. He took great delight in showing us every gadget he had to combat the cold weather. Then like a Borg drone from Star Trek regenerating itself George suddenly plugged himself into his bike. ‘How cool’ I thought. My excitement soon waned when he explained that it was just his heated vest. I was still impressed. 

Then like a cowboy riding his faithful steed, Chris moseyed up on his Kawasaki GTR1400. This old girl has done over 170,000 km and like Chris, is still going strong. A good example of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. Chris recons he could get another 100,000 km out of her so we won’t be seeing him on anything new too soon.

After a quick briefing from Maritta we all took off like rebel pensioners without a cause. All was good through Sutton and Gundaroo until we hit Gunning. On the outskirts of town Kevin, who always likes to ride tail-end Charlie, suddenly stopped. This of course led to three other riders stopping or slowing down to see if he was OK. Kevin shooed us away in frustration, so we left him alone. We later found out that his Wiggles compilation had stopped playing so he had to stop and “reconnect to his fandangle electric Bluetooth wireless device”. There’s one in every group! 

Now most people know that the ride from Gunning to Crookwell and then Taralga is a blast. Beautiful sweeping corners on tarmac as smooth as a babies bum. Our ride was no different until we came across the curse of any motorcyclist. A slow country driver who drives at 70 km/h on bends and 120 km/h on the straights. Why God created such a creature is anyone’s guess. Maybe they were sent to test our patience. Who knows? We eventually all passed the old fella safely and resumed our orderly formation when suddenly all hell broke loose. Like a school kid who had just heard the bell for little lunch Andrew couldn’t help himself and opened up the beamer passing all of us in one move. This of course set the other kids off and they followed suit leaving Maritta, George and myself in their wake. With heated handgrips on max and George’ s vest on 11 we eventually arrived at Taralga which was a balmy 7°C. Maritta promptly vowed to never ride in these parts in winter again.

 


We quickly gathered inside and warmed ourselves up by the fire and feasted pizza, burgers, chips, soup and a couple parma’s for the farmers. Good food and conversations were being had by all when Andrew dropped one of the most dangerous questions you can ask in a group of middle-class Australians over 50. Do you caravan or do you not caravan after you retire? I won’t go into detail but let’s just say we eventually agreed to disagree. It was a good-natured debate and laughs were had by all.

  

With our bellies full and the problems of the world solved it was time to head forhome. Chris had to help out with a Bunnings BBQ so he upped and flew to coup. Maritta stopped off at Crookwell to visit one of her many relatives while the rest of us rode on to Gunning for the usual coffee at the Old Hume Café and then home.

Thank you Maritta for organising such a great ride and to my fellow riders for the laughs and good company. You really are the Magnificent Seven.

 

Steven Bardwell

The Magnificent Seven

  • Maritta Heiler         – Kawasaki Vulcan 900
  • George Attard       – Triumph Tiger 800 XRT
  • Kris Jirasek           – Hayabusa 1300
  • Steven Bardwell    – Moto Guzzi California 1400
  • Andrew Campbell  – BMW R1250RS
  • Kevin Sherman     – BMW R1250RS
  • Chris Dietzel         – Kawasaki GTR1400

Monday, June 28, 2021

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDARS BEFORE SETTING OUT

 

PLEASE NOTE: due to the rapidly changing covid circumstances and associated lockdowns some advertised rides will be deferred and alternatives offered. 

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDARS BEFORE SETTING OUT

Club Ride: Pambula, 6 June 2021

A half dozen hardy souls turned up today at Caltex Hume, for a ride to Pambula.
The weather was ideal, if quite chilly. We held on a bit, giving an opportunity for others that may not have got out from under the covers, a little more time. 

At about 0905, we called it time. I advised the route – predictable enough; down the Monaro, through Polo Flat, and on to Bombala for coffee. After coffee – through Cathcart and Wyndham on the Mt Darragh Road, and into south Pambula. Lunch at the ‘Top Pub’ (the Royal Willows is long since closed down), and home via Candelo, Bemboka, Brown Mountain and home.

So, off we went. By the time we got to Bombala (where the only place for coffee and a pie is in the local IGA), I found out from Scott that the chill factor had got to Aeron and she decided to high-tail home for the warmth. A bit of a shame really, as by Bombala the temperature was now 8 degrees and warmer to follow as we descend to Pambula. Still, I don’t blame Aeron for this call – if I wasn’t leading I would have stayed home as well.

The route from here is via Cathcart and Mount Darrah Road, through Wyndham and into South Pambula. Disappointment for those of us that loved the old “Mount Darrah Road”. The fun police have outdone themselves and dropped the limit to 60kmh, yet the road conditions are better than previous (albeit, some spots of loose gravel from recent re-surfacing).

Today’s ride is the first I’ve been on with Kevin since he offloaded the Indian Scout for the Beemer R1250RS. It really has him riding with a lot of enjoyment, it would seem .

We arrived at the Top Pub at Pambula, and grabbed our lunches and a mixture of liquid refreshments. Saddling up after about an hour here, we got back on the road – heading north on the Princes Hwy for a short few km, before exiting again at Wolumla, onto Candelo-Wolumla Road. The road from here through Candelo – the heart of the Bega Valley, is just spectacular. The rolling hills are a perfect blanket of green grass. No wonder the cows like it here and the dairy industry is doing as well as can be!

Turning left onto the Snowy Mountains Highway just east of Bemboka, we enjoyed a spirited uphill ride through Brown Mountain – until we had to drop to a frustratingly slow pace by a few slower vehicles out for a Sunday drive. A brief stop at the junction of Monaro Highway and Polo Flat Road, and we parted ways homeward bound.

A great day, thanks to all who attended.

Chris

Riders:

  • Chris Dietzel (ride leader)      – Kawasaki GTR1400.
  • Kevin Sherman                     – BMW R1250RS.
  • Bill Henshaw                        – Triumph Explorer.
  • Scott England                       – BMW R1250RT.
  • Dieter Walter                        – Ducati Multistrada 950.
  • Aeron Johnson                      – Suzuki SV650.




Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Grenfell – Club ride, 30 May 2021

The Magnificent Seven ride to Grenfell!

We arrived at our meeting point after a very cool night. Sunday morning was sunny and still, promising a pleasant journey to Grenfell.
I was pleased to see that a healthy number of people had turned up for the ride – promptly dubbed the ‘magnificent seven’. Kevin arrived on his new BMW R1250RS, a replacement for that unforgettably loud Indian Scout. Interestingly there was only one Japanese bike in the group – how things have changed in the market in recent years!

The familiar transport stages along the Barton Highway and Lachlan Valley Way were uneventful. We passed one highway patrol car travelling in the opposite direction – the officer evidently feeling in a generous mood towards motorcyclists.
After morning coffee sitting in the Winter sunshine at the ‘Superb’ Café in Boorowa, we ventured forth on the more complicated part of the route.  I’m not sure who designed this route but it was an ‘interesting’ and enjoyable one for the ride leader to navigate.

 

 

I maintained a modest pace as we threaded the narrow strip of bitumen through Murringo Gap, briefly onto the Olympic Highway, then Westwards through Bendick Murrell into the beautiful farmland of the Wirrimah hills.

This involved negotiating numerous 90 degree turns on narrow back roads. It was quite fun really, especially since I was navigating from memory.



We stopped for a photo opportunity outside Iandra Castle. This grandiose pile, a wealthy landowner’s folly, took 30 years to complete (between 1880 and 1910). Unfortunately, we missed an open day tour of the castle which had been held the previous day. I had enquired about getting the Ulysses group inside for a quick look – without success.
 
The pretty pastoral scenery continued as we followed more back roads towards the metropolis of Grenfell. As many would know, Grenfell is one of those little NSW towns that appears frozen in time. The streetscape seems quite unchanged since mid-last century.

 

Our lunch venue had been nominated as the Albion Hotel – a picturesque country pub with an attractive Aussie hotel façade. Inside…..not so much. Expecting a typical country pub lunch menu, we gathered to order at the small bar. The laconic barman announced that the Sunday lunch was roast pork and veg. We interpreted this to mean that roast pork was the Sunday special and asked what else was on the menu. No! We were advised, a little brusquely, that we could order whatever we liked as long as it was roast pork and veg. 

So, six of the magnificent seven ordered the roast pork. One of our company, Warren Richer, rebelled against this draconian regime, walked to the café next door and procured a toasted sandwich. 

It was not the worst roast pork meal I’ve ever had and, as always, I enjoyed the entertaining conversation of Ulysses members. The return journey via Young, Galong and Bowning was straightforward and uneventful from all accounts.

The trip to Grenfell was relaxed and pleasant overall, with a group of experienced riders who were all great company. I can recommend future rides through this part of the country, though perhaps with a different lunch venue.
John


RIDERS:

  • Steven Bardwell          Moto Guzzi California 1400
  • Andrew Campbell        BMW R1250 RS
  • Scott England             BMW R1250 RT
  • John Grace                 Triumph Tiger 1200
  • Warren Richer             Triumph Thruxton 1200R
  • Kevin Sherman            BMW R1250 RS
  • Chas Towie                  Honda ST1300

 

Sunday, June 13, 2021

The June 2021 RO2 is now available!

 June is upon us and the branch news must be shared!



The June Riding On 2 is now available for your reading pleasure!

>> Click Here, to go there! <<