the sight of 10 grown men with a
few drinks under their belts trying to stand on a
ship crossing Bass Straight, all while waving their
arms around and making engine noises as they re-live
last year, is enough to make anyone laugh!
The sense of adventure and freedom as we leave the
ship is compounded by a strong camaraderie as we bunch-up
and ride through the fog to nearby Lauderdale for
a coffee. Groups have to click – groups have to flow
on the road and groups have to be free from surprises.
That’s what’s so good about this group – there are
no surprises – there are no real signals and half
the time there’s no need to communicate at all – we
all just know what’s happening around us.
After breakfast at Elizabeth it’s on! First run is
Latrobe to Perth via Frankford and Westerbury. The
big Blackbird is a whole 80km old so I have to be
careful on the throttle but with the pillion in a
million on for the trip I need to ride like an adult
anyway.
After Perth we head south for Campbell Town then
enjoy a wicked run down Lake Leake Rd to Swansea.
A short ride along the coast road is followed by fish
and chips for lunch and we’re off again. The ‘Bird
is grunty and composed as we head south on the Tasman
Hwy. The wind is a little strong but it still rates
as one of the most exciting and scenic stretches on
the map.
A few hours later we’ve ridden through Orford and
we’re heading west for Hobart via Richmond and Cambridge.
We’ve got two nights in Hobart and the accommodation
couldn’t be nicer – the Amundsen Suite at Hadley’s
Hotel in Murray St, Hobart, is a must-do for any would-be
Tassie tourers.
A fine dinner at Sal’s in Salamanca Square followed
by a band at a local pub is a fitting end to the day.
Tomorrow is an easy loop around the Huon River and
the Dentrecasteaux Channel so a sleep-in is on the
cards…
Flipping from full-bank to full-bank on the Blackbird
and riding the torque in third gear along the edge
of the Huon River is like heaven. The corners hug
the aqua-blue water all the way around the point to
Kettering and the lunch stop is mind-blowing. Situated
on the water, the Bruny Island ferry terminal/restaurant
is stunning to say the least.
After lunch we blast back to Hobart via a run up
Mt Wellington for a photo and a chat then we fire
back to the hotel to compare notes on the day over
a few coldies. Top stuff indeed.
Day three is a big one but an absolute hoot. Everyone
is pumped from the word go and Freddie is pulling
burnouts before I’ve even got my helmet done-up! Hobart
wakes to the sound of 11 sportsbikes leaving town
in, err, a swift urgency – there are twistys to be
tackled after all…
First run is from Hobart to New Norfolk via Glenorchy
– then it’s on up to Russell Falls for brunch before
we fire up through Ellendale to the A10 and up to
Tarraleah. From there it’s all systems go as we hammer
down to Derwent Bridge on one of the best roads in
the world. We stop and take in the ride before moving
on to the run into Queenstown – another amazing road
simply built for bikes…
Queenstown to Strahan is a fun end to a fantastic
day and to top it all off we have great accommodation
once again – this time in the Gordon Gateway Chalets.
Fine seafood and pasta follow along with, as if you’d
expect anything less, plenty of red’s, white’s and
amber refreshments!
Day four is a cracker. We ride north from Strahan
onto Zeehan and Rosebery. Heather and I take a wrong
turn and lose the group only to stumble across them
at Murchison Dam. I’m told I’ve missed an awesome
road so Heather lets me loose for a quick solo blast
down the B28 to see what all the fuss is about. Needless
to say the Blackbird’s tyres and, of course, my new
kneesliders, were well and truly scrubbed by the time
I got back! Yeehaa!
Cradle Mountain was next and believe me you’d be
hard pressed to find a better road anywhere. The ride
from the visitor centre down to Mona for lunch is
the best run of the trip. Phil starts it and John
follows – then it’s Freddie and Heather and I. All
of us down a gear and on the gas! I’m hanging to let
loose but my wife is on the back and, hey, that’s
kinda important luggage. But we still have a blast
and enjoy a really, really good ride with the guys.
We just have an absolute ball all the way to Moina.
We pull up for lunch and John gives me a high-five!
Phil is quietly grinning from his win and Freddie
is frantically rolling a smoke. It was just one of
those rides to remember…
Launceston via Mole Creek finishes off the day of
days and marks the beginning of our end-of-trip celebrations
– the traditional Indian feast is followed by any
pub that will take us. Or take Mark anyway...
Everyone lets loose for the night and we end up in
a bar – tossing the barman for drinks. It goes without
saying that there were too many winners and even Lloydy
and Russ were having a good old dance while Alf played
air drums in the corner! Funny stuff that’s for sure…
After a good night’s sleep in the Great Northern
Hotel we meet in town for a huge brekkie. The rest
of the final day is spent in the northwestern side
of Tassie; with a good run up to Bridport and Scottsdale
followed by a ride out to St Helens and then back
to Exeter for the run to Devonport. I manage to get
us all lost for a while but, hey, as a tour guide
I make a great editor! Sorry guys!
Before we know it we’re on our way home – dreading
the day-to-day and already looking forward to next
year. The trip was magical. And if all the worn tyres,
scraped footpegs, melted kneesliders and ear-to-ear
grins are anything to go by – it looks as though everyone
had an absolute hoot…
THE WEAPON OF CHOICE
We chose a Honda Blackbird with a 40-litre
Ventura Bike-Pack System fitted for the trip and once
we set the suspension up and put a few kilometers
on the brand spanking ‘Bird (a special thanks to Tony
Pears at Horizon Honda for the first service work)
it was all sweet sailing. The XX’s huge torque and
monster top end was awesome – and the comfort factor
was good too – if a bit cramped for my 185cm frame.
The seat to footpeg distance is, err, Japanese to
say the least, but apart from that the bike is like
a smooth cruise missile and a set of adjustable rearsets
would sort that problem out anyway.
Even with a Ventura rack system and the pillion in
a million on board the 1100 handled the twisties.
I am, however, convinced that the linked brakes are
a bad thing on the XX. The set-up works well on, for
instance, my mates lighter VFRs, but without the ability
to set the balance of such a big bike up into turns
– plus a few scary rear wheel lock ups while using
the front brake – tells me that a kit for running
individual brakes would be in my Blackbird budget.
Still, you get a lot of big-bore sports touring motorcycle
for under $19,000 with the XX and the seductively
smooth engine is enough to keep any rider satisfied.
The Ventura Bike-Pack System was perfect. The bag
is easy to remove/fit to the rack at the end/start
of each day and it even has built-in shoulder straps
to make life easier while carrying it around. The
45-litre Aero Spada bag (now superceded by a 51-litre
bag) holds plenty for one person but was a little
tight for two so in hindsight I should have opted
for the 60-litre bag. The rack is strong and light,
and fits the bike well – and the whole set-up costs
only $360.00 Visit www.kenma.com.au for more info
on racks, tankbags and other products.
SPECIFICATIONS
CBR1100XX SUPER BLACKBIRD
Engine Type: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke 16-valve
DOHC inline-4 Bore x Stroke: 79 x 58mm Displacement:
1137cc Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Fuelling: EFI Maximum
power: 112kW[150hp] @ 9500rpm Maximum torque: 119Nm[87ft/lbs]
@ 7250rpm Ignition: CDI Final Drive: Chain Wheelbase:
1490mm Seat height: 810mm Fuel capacity: 23 litres
Front tyre: 120/70 ZR17 Rear tyre: 180/55 ZR17 Front
suspension: 43mm H.M.A.S. cartridge-type forks – non
adjustable Rear suspension: Pro-Link with stepless
rebound-adjustable gas-charged H.M.A.S. damper (rebound
only Front brakes: 310mm rotors with Combined three-piston
calipers and sintered metal pads Rear brakes: 256mm
rotor with Combined three-piston caliper and sintered
metal pads Dry weight: 223kg Price: $18,790 + ORC
www.hondamotorcycles.com.au
OUR LOOP
Main Street Travel is located at 2 Empire
St, Mornington, Vic 3931. Call Russell or Marie on
(03) 5975 6333, fax (03) 5975 9270 or visit www.mainsttravel.com.au
– tours are catered to your needs and start from $760
for nine nights (two on boat) including accommodation
and transport on the Spirit of Tasmania. Our shorter
five-day route went like this…
Melbourne/Fri > Devonport > Latrobe > Perth
> Campbell Town > Swansea > Orford > Richmond
> Cambridge > Hobart/Sat > Fern Tree >
Huonville > Cygnet > Gordon > Kettering >
Margate > Hobart/Sun > New Norfolk > Westerway
> Russell Falls > Ellendale > Durrobin Bridge
> Tarraleah > Derwent Bridge > Queenstown
> Strahan/Mon > Zeehan > Rosebery > Tullah
> Cradle Mountain > Mona > Mole Creek >
Deloraine > Launceston/Tue > Scottsdale >
Bridport > St Helens > Exeter > Frankford
> Devonport/Wed > Melbourne/Thur
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