A wee trip out west

[malik]

Phil & I set out from Sydney on Thursday



And got as far as Trangie (500km) before play was called on account of rain. But we did come across this there



Then on to Broken Hill (700km) where we stayed with Gus, a Triumph enthusiast in his early 80's, still with projects on the go - 2 triumphs & and a Commando

[imghttp://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hatihati/2015-09%20Broken%20Hill%20Adelaide/078605af38ef606acca2d1276730aff6.jpg]http://[/img]

And along with his Triumph runners, he has a RE Fury - all immaculate







Lunch the next day at Peterborough, where Ian, the owner of the Motorcycle Musuem was washing his daily ride



More later ...

[oldbike54]

 Interesting TR6 Triumph , if that is original with the dual carb head and C model pipes , we didn't get that model in the states .
Thanks for the report and pics .
 
  Dusty

[malik]

Yes, it has those high pipes. A lovely piece of work. Had more pics & a bit more story that didn't come through - bloody tablets - will rectify later - just leaving Adelaide now & heading for the Flinders Ranges - a little rain has fallen but the sky ahead looks promising.

[oldbike54]

Yes, it has those high pipes. A lovely piece of work. Had more pics & a bit more story that didn't come through - bloody tablets - will rectify later - just leaving Adelaide now & heading for the Flinders Ranges - a little rain has fallen but the sky ahead looks promising.

 Waiting with great anticipation 

  Dusty

[malik]

Another of Gus' runners



Lunch on Saturday at Peterborough - Ian was washing his daily ride



Then on to Adelaide, where some of the Frats (Moto Guzzi Appreciation Fratenity) led us on a blast around the Adelaide Hills







And we were joined late in the day by Another Frat, Zoom, on this



Yesterday, a couple of Frats took us on another guided tour of the area, and we finished with a beer



A coffee & fuel at Port Agusta, before tackling Horrocks Pass.

Mal

[oldbike54]

 The man has a nice collection of high pipers  Thanks Mal 

  Dusty

[Lannis]

The man has a nice collection of high pipers  Thanks Mal 

  Dusty

And you know that the runners are really runners from the obligatory drip pan under them ... Good on 'im!

Lannis

[malik]

Back in civilisation (Jamestown, SA) where we now have phone service, so a quick update of our jaunt into the Flinders.

From Port Agusta, we caught Horrocks Pass in the drizzle and peak hour, a pity about the trucks & caravans on the only bit of good twisties since Adelaide, but we pressed out - picked up supplies in Quorn, which has lots of interesting buildings



And motored on up to Parachilna, then onto the gravel road towards Blinman. Found a campsite near a dry riverbed at the start of the Heysin Trail ( a 1200 km walk).





A comfortable night, with some strong winds & a bit of rain, but a good campfire & some hot food set us right. Next day, the rest of the 32km of gravel to Blinman, where a quiet ale awaited.



Then down to Wilpena Pound, but as it is a super-organised resort, and it has started raining, we didn't stay long. Strong winds up at a lookout kept things interesting



From there the plan was to cross the ranges through Brachina Gorge, then back up to Camp via Parachina. The drizzle was impeding the views a little, but had not affected the gravel much, nor had the water levels risen for all the creek crossings. So all was well, until we exited the Gorge and onto the plain, where there had been just enough rain to turn the dust into sticky clay. The Cali went down 3 times in a kilometer. Just no traction.



....got to go - the road calls

[malik]

Breakfast at Burra - I'll get in a few more photos of the Flinders















Back on the road - a bit more of the tale later.

Mal

[Hymes Inc.]

 

[oldbike54]

 Thanks mate  Love pics of muddy motorbikes 

  Dusty

[balvenie]

Some beautiful places there Malik

[malik]

Well, we had a bit of a problem; we started on the Brachina Gorge track, and even to
Hough it was raining a little, all was well. Handled the gravel, the dirt & the river crossings OK. Great scenery, but the wet didn't encourage exploration. At the end of the gorge is some 7km of dirt on the plain. By the time we hit that bit there had been just enough rain to turn the bull dust into a supremely sticky clay. It coated the wheels and stuck, the mudguards scraped off the excess, and we had no grip at all, slipping & sliding & very little control. After Phil had dropped the Cali three times in less than a kilometer, we decided we wouldn't make it, and turned back, preferring the river crossings. A 4WD got another 100 yards up the road before turning back too. So we set off back the way we came. Not as easy a trip as the on the way out. The rain & the traffic had enlivened the clay sections & turned them into skating rinks. We preferred to river crossings & river beds - at least they washed some of the clay off the wheels. I managed to drop the bike only once - at least the landings were very soft - but it was a long and torturous trip back to the bitumen. Which we made just before last light - lucky us. So 60km up the bitumen back to Blinman. Doing another 20 odd km on gravel in the dark to return to our camp was deemed unwise, so a room at the pub, a couple of beers and an excellent rump steak dinner was decided upon. Then the storm really hit - driving rain & gusting gales. We were thankful that we were warm, dry & replete.

[Muzz]

Enjoying your trip immensely. I am pleased we (in general) don't have that bulldust stuff out here.  Certainly looks nasty when wet.

[malik]

Waking next morning, it was still a little damp, but a coffee & a qua doing pie from the General Store restored the spirits, and while we waited for the sun to turn up & dry the road, we set about cleaning the bikes - here's another before shot



And a couple of other after scraping off the piles of clay caked over the swingarm, the alternator and in the disc calipers - no rear brake on that dirt, the front brake was dangerous, and the Cali's linked brakes were unusable.





But a couple of hours of scrubbing with water, cloth & brush got rid of the worst of it and cleaned & restored the brakes. That stuff was everywhere.

A pot of tea & a Blinman Big Pie later, we set off down the gravel road to rescue our campsite from the ravages of the storm. The surface had firmed up somewhat, though we were leery of the clay bits, and the creek crossings were now river crossings - aim for the other site, an even throttle & hope for the best.

Back at camp, the wind had torn the tents about and the rain had wet a lot - I just has a few clothes in the hammock's shelf that were wet, but Phil's tent outer had been ripped off & both his sleeping bags had puddles nestling in them. We were glad that fortune had once again smiled on us, and spared us the experience.

Packed up & loads secured, we did the last 10km of gravel - the rivers had risen another foot or so, had a fair flow & so no sighting of the bed - a fair bit of sliding around & several "brown pants" moments, but we made it to the bitumen at Parachilna & started the long haul back, first south to Jamestown for the night (where we found a mate of Phil's from Sydney 3 doors down in the pub), then Burra, where we turned east.

One thing about travelling these places at this time of year, the usual browns, reds & olives were covered with a kalaidescope of greens. Magical.

A couple of big days -Jamestown to Balranald (574km), and Balranald to Blayney (620km), crossing a very green Hay plain, and facing the last stretch home today.

A great trip & lots to talk about.

[malik]

Back home, bike unloaded & got my pot of tea.

Just a few stats, for those of us who like these things.

4,673 km (2.903 miles)
longest day (it's still winter here) - 683km (424 miles)
fuel consumption averaged 4.79 litres/100k = 49 mpg
lots of long distances outback, mostly rode at 4,000 - 4,500rpm
when we did ride faster, at around 5,500rpm plus, noticed significant increase in fuel consumption
could mostly count on 450km (280 mi) per tank, but only 350km (220mi) at those higher speeds.

Mechanical problems - Nil
Oil consumed - Nil
Seat pains - None
Items lost - None
Close shaves - 1 (bloody emus!)

[Vasco DG]

Mechanical problems - Nil
Oil consumed - Nil
Seat pains - None
Items lost - None
Close shaves - 1 (bloody emus!)

Abject fail!

You rode a modern Guzzi further than the end of your street and it didn't fail and you didn't have to run screaming to the Internet about how awful everything since 1975 has been!

Golden elephant stamp, with bar!

Jude and I love the Flinders, we honestly think we could live out there very easily, we're just too lazy to move! No, it's not everyone's idea of 'Home' but the isolation and solitude are something we love. Unfortunately the other factor is we're getting older. We want to be relatively close to a hospital in case we go 'Urk!' And fall over!

Pete

[malik]

Saw a "bush block for sale" sign on the Parachilna - Blinman road. But you're right - a long way from almost everything. Hawker looked almost big enough to have something. I met a(n older) couple in Blinman, had lived there most of their life, but now renting out their house and have moved south (Orroroo, I think) to be closer to future facilities. Still visiting often. If you have to settle for another visit, now is a good time - they have had lots of little bits of rain & everywhere is green. Those fairways with pines on them were surprising - missed photos of the good bits, but this might give you an idea



Mal