TRIP 2 – 516km – Home to Lithgow & return.

"I have been wondering lately about the old saying about using the right tool for the right job, and also what would be the opposite of the saying about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

Me, during this ride.

Wednesday 12/09/2012

I leave home at around 8:30am and head southwest along the tar and stop after 23km to refuel my spare fuel container at Freemans Waterhole. The man in the fuel station asks where I am going and I say Lithgow and back and he laughs and says it’s a long way on that, pointing out to the Postie. I have time I reply. I continue through Cooranbong and am soon up into the Watagan Mountains on unsealed, corrugated gravel roads. The corrugations shake the GPS loose from its mount and I am forced to stop and secure it tighter with a rubber band. I turn off the main forest track at The Pines and head towards The Basin on Walkers Ridge Forest Road. Once again the GPS proves invaluable as I simply follow my preset black line and ignore all of the tracks which fork off left and right into the surrounding forest. I pop out of the forest onto George Downes Drive at The Letter A and follow the route I traversed on my test run some seven weeks ago for about 7km before I once again turn off onto the gravel and begin following the Great Northern Road. I only travel about 6km before I stop for morning tea in the Mogo Picnic Ground, which I have all to myself. This point marks the one third the distance mark. I am now travelling through Yengo National Park and the descent to the riverflats below is a slow going steep twisting and turning affair. As I near the bottom off the hill and speed up, I come to grief on a tight corner where deep gravel sends my front wheel away from under me and the bike and I slide along on our sides in the gravel. It’s a relatively low speed get off however so there is not much harm done except for a broken front brake lever. I motor into St Albans where I stop and splint it with electrical tape. From St Albans, I am on the flats and following the Macdonald River downstream to its junction with the Hawkesbury River, opposite Wisemans Ferry, and I realise that the crash has made the throttle sticky so that when I take my right hand off the throttle we still barrel along at speed. Was this a handy feature or a dangerous one? I couldn’t decide. I travel upstream along the northern bank of the Hawkesbury, drifting away from the river along a ridge, before a steep switchback brings me right alongside the river again. Again I court disaster, as at one stage I drift in some deep gravel and as I instinctively try and plant my feet on the ground to steady myself, I find that my right hand bootlace has looped around the kickstart. Mental note to self, elastic sided boots for next trip. I cross the Colo River at its junction with the Hawkesbury at Lower Portland and begin following the Colo along its southern bank, very peaceful and very scenic. At Upper Colo I leave the river and climb up onto another big ridge, surrounded on both sides by Wollemi National Park. Around 3pm I toy with the idea of a bush camp, but realising it is only 35km to Bilpin, I decide to press onwards to and through the tiny settlement at Mountain Lagoon, past my three quarters of the way distance point and pop out onto the Bells Line of Road in Bilpin. After some quick reconnaissance I decide to camp in Bilpin Park, which looks to be a bit of a grey nomad stop, but before I settle in it is a quick 11km dash back along Bells Line of Road to the pub at Kurrajong Heights for a pair of King Browns. Back in Bilpin Park I roll out my swag and then realise I am right by some kind of stink pipe ventilation thang, and relocate further into the reserve. Dinner is heat and eat noodles and my company is the radio. I am completely tired and a nearby dog barks incessantly for three hours and not even socks stuffed in my ears can soothe the noise. Eventually all is quiet and I drift off.

 

Distance = 206km

Max Speed = 79.0km/h

Moving Time = 5h 30mins

Moving Average = 37.5km/h
 

Thursday 13/09/2012

After a quick pack up, I am back on the Bells line of Road for only 2km before I turn off onto Bowens Creek Road, ignoring the No Through Road sign and proceed once more beyond civilisation. The road quickly deteriorates and I promise myself I won’t go into anything that I can’t get back out of. The road is literally cut into the cliff in places with a vertical drop on my right hand side. I travel for one kilometre and then the road switches back in the opposite direction for another kilometre and then does the same again, all the time slowly descending to Bowens Creek, an amazing example of road building. Superb Lyrebirds cross my path at two different locations. As I cross the bridge at the bottom I bump into a Council work crew who are installing a new gate to restrict access to the road I have just travelled. We chat for a while and they even invite me to stop for lunch. I decline and head off up a similar, although better maintained, road to Mount Irvine where I rejoin the bitumen and pass through Mount Wilson. All very pretty, avenues of exotic trees and then avenues of native trees and then forests of tree ferns and manicured secluded acerages. I rejoin the Bells Line of Road for my last blast into Lithgow and am buffeted by incredibly strong winds. As I chug uphills and then fly downhills, all the time watching my mirrors to juggle the upcoming traffic I wonder as to the appropriateness of my chosen steed. Is 110cc really appropriate for journeys such as this? Certainly I am out of my depth on this road. As I curse my lack of power, my next ascent seems even more pitiful than the last and I take refuge on the shoulder, eventually chugging to a stop near the crest. My main tank has run dry. I flick to reserve, restart the bike and descend into Lithgow. First stop the bike shop where I buy a replacement brake lever, and then to my father's uncle's house. Made it !

 

Distance = 57.1km
Max Speed = 74.8km/h
Moving Time = 1h 56mins
Moving Average = 29.3km/h

 

Saturday 15/09/2012

After a day and a half off the road, spending time with family, I am up at 6:30am and after a light breakfast I make my farewells and head off to fuel up. My fathers uncle escorts me to the edge of town and points out the back way out of town which takes me through Hartley Vale and up to Bell, where I rejoin the Bells Line of Road. It is very cold and I stop at the heavy vehicle weigh station and put on some more clothes. I cover the forty kilomtres to Kurrajong Heights pretty quickly, but suffer the same old fast road shortcomings, mainly due to my inability to keep up with traffic speed. I stop at the Bellbird Hill Lookout, just prior to the big descent down into Kurrajong, and am treated to the spectacle of the release of a truckfull of homing pigeons. Down I go into Kurrajong, where I branch off onto Comleroy Road, then Blaxlands Ridge Road which delivers me back to Lower Portland where I rejoin my outward bound route and get off the bitumen for the first time today which slows me down. I have a bit of trouble with my “rocket launchers” as one keeps slipping down on the rough gravel roads and I stop near the Webbs Creek Ferry opposite Wisemans Ferry for a cup of tea and a bit of an adjustment. I continue on, retracing my steps back to St Albans and then on gravel for 40kms back up to George Downes Drive at Bucketty. I continue on and turn off onto the gravel again at The Letter A and head back through the Watagan Mountains to Cooranbong where it is sealed road all the way back to home. Needless to say I am knackered and it’s an early night for me.

 

Distance = 253km
Max Speed = 78.8km/h
Moving Time = 5h 37mins
Moving Average = 44.9km/h
 

 Click to Enlarge Route Map

 

TRIP 1 - 357km - 50km radius around home

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the Spring of hope, it was the Winter of despair…”
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities


Friday 27th July 2012
I leave home at 8am and run out of fuel about 20 minutes later, switch to reserve and then refuel both the tank and the spare fuel container in Belmont. I ride on and south of Swansea I enter one of the few 100km/h speed zones I will be travelling through, and the traffic speeds by me. I turn off the Pacific Highway at Lake Munmorah and travel along the coast to The Entrance. I stop in Towoon Bay for to make a cup of tea and to fill my Thermos with tea for later in the day. I repack and head west to Tuggerah and then up into the forests of the Central Coast Hinterland. I travel through to Kulnurra and then on to The Letter A and then Bucketty and Laguna on twisting turning forest roads. I am following the Old North Road which was hand built by convicts back in the day and as I roll into Wollombi the main tank runs dry again (after 140km) and I flick back to reserve again. I do a lap of Wollombi and end up down the back of the Rural Fire Service shed on a small concrete basketball pad where I refuel from the spare fuel container and pause for a cuppa. It’s only another 30km to my night camp at Broke and it’s a pleasant ride on a winding road which follows Wollombi Brook. At Broke I set up in a reserve alongside the Brook and knock up some noodles and a cuppa soup. I am in my sleeping bag by 6pm and asleep. Unfortunately sleep doesn’t last long due to the uncomfort factor of the ground mat and I spend the whole night tossing and turning. Nearby, the bright lights and constant thrum of a generator from the grey nomads camp also assist to keep sleep at bay.

Distance = 187.38km
Max Speed = 78.4km/h
Moving Time = 3h 42mins
Moving Average = 50.6km/h.

Saturday 28th July 2012
I get up around 7am after an uncomfortable nights sleep. The thin ground mat that I have chosen to travel with has underperformed and will be the first item I jettison when I return home. Despite the heavy frost I was warm enough in the sleeping bag. It takes around an hour to break camp, make a brew and get back on the road. It’s a 25km ride into Singleton and I have upgraded to my thicker Winter riding gloves, and glad for them. I stop in town to refuel my spare fuel container and to buy one litre of engine oil, and then travel on. It is a glorious morning and everything clicks into place as I wind my way through the countryside with music cranking out through my headphones, and every song seemingly referencing the current moment. I turn off the Gresford Road onto an even quieter country road which turns to gravel for a few kilometres and then I pop out opposite my Aunty’s house in Vacy where I stop for a morning cuppa and some toast. I put the bike onto the centre stand and it topples over in the soft earth, I am mortified and heave it upright and shift it to firmer ground. Little do I know that by days end I will have dropped the bike on its side numerous times. I carry on east towards Wallarobba, then Brookfield and down to Glen Martin. Just east of Clarence Town I venture off the main road and begin my “shortcut” through Wallaroo Nature Reserve. The first 5km will take one and a half hours to negotiate. It begins innocently enough with some slippery mud and a few puddles and then progresses to a severely eroded narrow rutted track and then culminates in an incredibly steep and insanely rocky climb up to Gilmore Lookout. The “Gilmore Trail” turns out to be a washed out goat track and I push the postie as hard as I can until she stops on the incline and then I lift off the saddlebags and run alongside her, struggling to keep her upright and from bouncing on top of me as she bucks and bounces over the rough steep terrain. As she bottoms out on her sump skid plate and wheel spins, I call on all of my reserves to physically shove the bike forward uphill until she slides forward off the rock and the wheel gets traction again. This happens over and over again. As I surmount each tricky section, I park the bike and walk back down and bring the saddlebags back up. I am in a Catch-22 situation, as I overcome each subsequent obstacle I am more and more loathe to turn around and back out of the situation, but still don’t know what lies ahead. At one stage I am perched on the side of the hill, balancing the bike with one hand, while I try and take the saddlebags off with the other and two trailbikers come down the hill. They ask am I sure I am okay (so obviously I looked like I was struggling) I reply yes and ask how the track is further up, rough they say, it will be a struggle for you on the postie. I carry on and get no relief, and am absolutely spent when I take yet another run at the beginning of yet another section, and this time mange to hang on and throttle through it, helping the bike through by walking it without dismounting and then we are on the top off the hill. The road smooths out and even the downhill is a relatively good road. In seemingly no time at all I pop out the other side onto the Pacific Highway, the drama behind me. From here it is a straight forward ride home in less than an hour down through Medowie and Williamtown, over Stockton Bridge and a weave through the suburban streets of Newcastle. Mission accomplished. Note to self, if it isn’t marked as a road on an NRMA map, think seriously about taking it, and if the going starts to look tough, sometimes it’s better to look for a workaround at the outset. Then again it has been said that adversity strengthens the mind as labour does the body, so who knows…….

Distance = 180.16km
Max Speed = 80.4km/h
Moving Time = 3h 58mins
Moving Average = 45.3km/h















Click to Enlarge Route Map

The Build

I am not going to go into the whole "why a postie bike" thang, suffice to say you work with what you have. We have owned the bike for a while and dragged it around the country for a year on the back of a bus (http://evosheas.blogspot.com.au/), during which time it never failed to start first time every time. So why not.

The next thing to do was to ask a bona fide postman (thanks Trev) did he know of a good CT110 mechanic who could lay their hands on the machine and correct any faulty components invisible to my eyes. Trev directed me to the champion CT110 guru mechanic Ken, who replaced the front and rear sprockets and generally tweaked all components into ship-shape working order. Thanks also to both Trev and Ken, I procured some ex-postie pannier frames, panniers and a handlebar bag, and then mined the collective knowledge of a local Australian postie bike forum (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/postiebikes/) on the best way to go about setting up the rig, and proceeded to pimp my ride. Here's the bike without any modifications except for some nice new CT110 stickers and the chrome front rack which bolts onto the forks and sits above the headlight. Click on the pix for a better view.

The first thing i did was to construct some skeletons for the panniers in order to help give them some shape. Given that they had been retired from postal service they were pretty flogged out. I used corflute which is the same material they make real estate "For Sale" signs from. Then i sprayed them matt black. The other good idea i had seen was the attachment of "rocket launchers" to the front bash plate struts so i got some PVC pipe and caps from the plumbing shop and knocked up a pair. I also bought a sheepskin seat cover and stitched a clear plastic map cover onto the top of the handlebar bag. Another idea was the inclusion of a thin piece of plywood between the original chrome rear rack seen above and the pannier base frame which sits on top of it. This allowed me to overhang the plywood 100mm or so beyond the chrome rear rach which ultimately allows me to strap gear behind the milk crate. See below for a visual. Again, click on the pix for a better view.

So thar she blows. Packed low. Five litres of fuel, five litres of water and one litre of oil in the milk crate. Bed roll and tarps on the front chrome rack. Butane stove, cooking utensils, food, clothes, tools, spares etc etc in the side panniers and a tent and sleeping bag on the back. Lets roll. Last weekend in July 2012 = test run.

1st Post

I am beginning this blog on the eve of the first day of Winter 2012 down here in Australia in an attempt to document my current preparations for, and eventual journeys on, some extended exploratory travels aboard a little red motorcycle. Maybe you are here because you have an interest in motorcycle camping, Honda CT110 motorcycles (Postie Bikes) or plain old adventure. Either way or another i hope you enjoy the posts.

At the moment i am partway through renovating some second hand saddlebags and making a list of all the items i think i might need to accompany me and aquiring them.

I will post some photographs soon.