Wednesday 3 November was an almost perfect day for a long motorcycle ride. Almost, because the section from Gerringong to Kiama was in a strong and gusty sea breeze; still, the rest of the ride was in fine conditions and a temperature in the low 20’s. Given those conditions, seven bikes made up the group. Three German, two British, and one each from North America and Japan.
The first leg was from Bungendore through Tarago to Nerriga for a coffee. This road, like so many in the area at the moment, is in poor condition with thousands of potholes; most, fortuitously, are along the left edge of the road so it’s not too hard to find a good line for a motorcycle. The Nerriga pub provided coffee for those so inclined.
The next section of the ride took us to Nowra. The eucalypt forest on this road was severely burned at the end of 2019, but with good rain for the past year, it has regenerated very well. The ride through Nowra is tedious, with numerous roadworks and lane closures, but all seven riders regrouped at the Ampol before continuing to Gerringong for lunch. Once again we had to contend with roadworks on the highway past Berry; one wonders if this highway will ever be complete. Lunch was taken at the Sea Vista Cafe, on a deck overlooking the Tasman Sea but with a stiff sea breeze blowing.
After lunch was the fun part of the ride - the climb to Robertson on Jamberoo Mountain Road. For those who haven’t tackled this road, it’s narrow with an awful lot of very tight turns, as well as a steep climb. There’s a 15 km/h steep uphill left-hander; each time I ride the road I know it’s coming, I set up for it carefully, and it still gives me heart palpitations. 285 kg of touring bike is really not ideal for such a road; still, I didn’t overrun the centre line, so maybe I’m getting the hang of it! In any case, the conditions were perfect and there was very little other traffic. On weekends, it’s a popular motorcycling road.
I offered the group the choice of taking the highway home from Robertson, or a scenic tour through the Southern Highlands; everybody agreed with the latter so we made the journey through Fitzroy Falls, Exeter and Bundanoon. Our final stop was at Marulan for fuel, a short break, goodbyes then straight down the highway home.
The group:
- George Attard Triumph Tiger 800 XRT
- Chris Dietzel Kawasaki 1400GTR
- Bill Henshaw Triumph Tiger Explorer
- Dave Mossman BMW R1250RS
- David Pitt Harley-Davidson Softail Slim
- Kevin Sherman BMW R1250RS
- Scott England BMW R1250RT - Ride Leader and scribe
