Lens Chewton Ride. 8/9/12

Looking at the web site it appeared that only 4 or 5 people might turn up for this ride however 13 starters turned up.

After the usual pre-ride talk we were away about 9.30 for the morning part of the ride. I had to return to the cars after about 5 minutes to change a gear lever as the new one I fitted was a slightly different shape and was hitting the chain stopping me from changing up properly. Strange as it seemed fine at home riding around the street.

I soon caught the group up. It was easy follow the tracks left on the damp ground. Not long after Len escorted Ted and Gary back to cars as Ted had crashed and hurt himself.
We rode over a mix of undulating and tight trails which were often rocky and occasionally very slippery.

The ride continued around the area with Len making frequent stops to check the map. There are a lot of tracks in the area and it is easy to become confused.
Before lunch Mark Edwards Husky refused to go after a stop. Some time spent diagnosing the problem found the battery had died. Luckily a KTM battery fitted and because the KTM also had a kick starter the KTM could be started with out the good battery.

We did about 70 kms before heading back to the cars for lunch. I am not sure but I think one or two riders pulled out at lunch time.

After lunch Peter Dowlands DRZ400 refused to go and was also diagnosed with a dead battery. Interestingly, both bikes with dead batteries came to the ride on the same trailer. This meant Peter had to keep the bike running or push start for the afternoon as he also had no kick starter.
The afternoon ride was similar to the morning ride. I am not sure how far we rode for the afternoon however I think we would have done 100-110 kms for the day and I was pretty low on fuel by the end of the ride.
I was entertained by 3 or 4 crashes on the slippery clay tracks and I am sure I entertained those behind me when I crashed on a dirt road. I dont think anyone was seriously hurt although I am a bit sore today. We got back to the cars around 4-4.30. The weather was good riding weather with little rain and just the right temperature.

This is an interesting area to ride and is steeped in history from the gold mining times. There are water races, old buildings and junk all around the area so if you are interested in that part of our history a tour of the area is well worth it.

Ian

If anyone else want to add another report go ahead as Len forgot to organise anyone to do.

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