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lukeage
Posts: 36
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« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2010, 03,53:19 AM » |
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They say, "the worst day riding beats the best day working". That statement has never been truer for me than Saturdays ride.
I collected Andrew (a.k.a. ratfink) at 0315 (yes, 0315) in the morning from Rye, and we drove north-west with thunderstorms all around us, putting on distant lightshows.
After a quick fueling session at Calder (both tanks and stomachs) we met DaveT (a.k.a. ausdjt) at the ridge road carpark still in darkness, with the handheld latern purchased from Supercheap auto last week coming in handy.
The three of us took off from the carpark in darkness with DaveT leading and I was bringing up the rear. I got a great view of ratfink dropping his DR650 whilst negotiating a rutty downhill section. Considering how much noise the crash made, I was surprised the damage was limited to Ratfinks ego and the rear brake lever.
We stopped to fix the DR's lever, and I commented on the lack of traction my front tyre was getting, blaming the fact that I had ripped off a few of the side knobbies. Then some astute bugger pointed on that my front tyre was, in fact, flat.
So, whilst under attack by the March flies, I changed the tyre with MAJOR assistance from Andrew and Dave (and a donated tube from Dave)
We started to head back to the carpark as it was getting close to 0830, and when we got back to the carpark I realised that the front was flat again. We used Dave's puncture repair kit (unsuccessfully), and then Andrew decided to donate a lovely heavy duty tube to the cause. Pumped it up and down it went.
MatR had a go. It deflated faster than Whitney Houston's singing career.
Mick from Bendigo then had a go (5th change), and it was amazing to see his technique/s. Ride leader MatR said he was going to do a quick 30 min loop and come around and kindly pick us up. Mick stayed behind (as did Dave) to help get me sorted. What sacrifices we make for our dirt-bike brothers...
Pumped it up, and it went down faster than a groupie at an AC/DC concert. I was tempted to un-hook the trailer from the Jeep and take the Jeep out. However, Mick had another go. I think he took it personally. He was sweating buckets.
It was a race to get it sorted, as I could hear the group coming back to collect us. It looked like we were just going to make the leaving time. I quickly put the front wheel back on as the group were just leaving. Ijumped on the bike to just beat the tailman out of the carpark, and looked down to see the 6th (lost count by this stage) flat tyre of the morning.
I then decided that I would ride the bike to Boltons in Kyneton, and get a new heavyduty tube and a new front tyre. Andrew accompanied me (I think mainly to make sure I did not top myself.)
$178 bucks later we left Boltons and made a dash back to Ridge road carpark, the whole Kyneton episode taking 60 mins. It was now 11:30 and no-one was in the car park, so I took Andrew for a few loops. I did not tell him that I had no-idea where I was going.
We got back to the carpark (amazingly) at 1230 and the group turned up 10 mins later. Some of the group thought I had changed the tyre and made the morning ride, and they could not believe that I had had yet ANOTHER flat tyre and missed the ride. (DaveT, of course, proclaiming that the session I missed out on was definately the best ride EVER)
AFTERNOON SESSION
15 of us were led my MatR, who, as usual, leads a great ride.
We went to a rocky loop that is a standard visit on MatR rides. We had a couple of good loops, and I nearly got to take out 2 Kangaroos within 50 metres of each other. Was great to see everyone having fun on this loop. Last time I was on that particular loop with MatR, I was one of 3 riders to get a flat tyre, however this time was incident free for all.
MatR and I swapped bikes for a while (my 09 WR450F for his 06 WR450F) so I could see if his bike had more power. MatR's bike handled better (stiffer front end) and was more powerful in the midrange, thanks, I guess, to his aftermarket pipe.
We then went to Challenge Hill, and MatR was kind enough to let me continue riding his bike up the hill. It almost bucked me off, but there were 2 of us that got to the top fairly quickly to enable us to do another loop so that we ended up down the bottom before the last riders had got up the hill.
From the bottom, I watched relatively new member David have a go on his DRZ 400. David is only new to riding, but gave it a red-hot go. MatR had to help him part of the way, however, David did the hardest part by himself. He gets better with every ride.
We then had another go up Challenge Hill with DaveT doing some camera work on the GoPro1080HD.
I got to have a 3rd lap around that loop with Howard whilst a tyre was being changed at the top of the hill. Finally the tyre gods were smiling on me! I quietly thanked them for that strategically timed flat tyre on someone elses bike that allowed me to squeeze some more riding in.
The last 45 mins of the ride had MatR give DaveT the reins. Dave is the unnofficial leader of the HTFU subculture, and went on to prove his pedigree, leading us up some real estate that I do not possess the adjectives to describe. It did not resemble a track. It was more akin to the aftermath of an avalanche, complete with basketball sized boulders and ruts that swallow DR650's whole.
A fairly uneventful afternoon for me considering the morning I had(however, I did have the obligitory couple of offs).
Thanks to MatR and Ross, and a very special thanks to everyone who assisted me with my multiple tyre dilemmas.
As usual AMTRA rides do not fail to impress. If these Cobaw organised rides are anything to go by, the HCR over the Anzac weekend should be fantastic.
FYI - March flies are at their worst at 27.5C
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