Wrench'n Ride'n

At last my Kappa 21ltr panniers have arrived. Mail out of Germany is not that fast. They are light. Narrow and I think they are great. I also got a set of Givi top box mounting hardware so Jan now has something to stop her from toppling off the back of the bike. hehehehehehe. She also now has a triboseat grippy seat cover. This is a very simple bit of mesh that attaches to the seat and stops her from sliding forward. It works that well I would be worried about getting a wedgey from it.

After a few weeks of either me being sick or very few days off I have had a chance to go ride. It was perfect weather too. Took myself to Fighter World at RAAF base Williamtown. Also known as Newcastle airport. Heading north some of the billboards have temp gauges in them. One said it was 33 C degrees. Mesh jackets rock in this type of weather. So to not having a fairing.

Anyone got the marshmallows?

The wait has been worth it. I have wanted hard luggage for the Bandit for some time now. I was so spoilt with the hard bags on the BMW. ThatOtherGuy on the  Australian Bandit forums was selling a set of Givi panniers racks. He was asking a really good price. So I bought them. The racks were fitted this morning. Now for the panniers. I am going to be using Givi/Kappa 21 liter ones.  I wanted the smallest ones as I do a lot of commuting and not much touring. So this size should suit nicely.  They are on their way to Australia as I type. Coming from Germany. Brand new. Bought on eBay for $130 less than the cheapest I could find here down under. This is with courier fee as well. Australian retailers wonder why they are struggling.

Did a run up top the Grey Gums Cafe on the Putty with Peter and Baz from the Suzuki Bandits Australiaforum. Peter on his Gen 1 1200 Bandit with Gen 2 engine. Baz on the Sound Lounge R1200 RT BM.  Which bike should I take? We met at Jerry's at Kulnura.  Some of the bikes there. Did he know he had a rat in his bag? Peter's Bandit. Baz's Sound Lounge R1200RT. Baz brought Chicken Strips for lunch. Then headed north to Broke. Left and out past lots of vineyards for sale then onto the Putty. It has been years since I have done the Putty. Through Howels Valley the Road Gods shone on us and gave us the corners to scrap boots through. Great meal at Grey Gum Cafe. So many bikes. So many loud Harleys going so slow past the cafe.  It was like a Clint Eastwood western there. Baz about to get the tunes going through his sound system. Peter needed fuel. He though not having his jacket on would...

Back in the day... hehehehe stuffing around with Photoshop...

From 1 February next year, the NSW government will launch a lane filtering trial in Sydney’s CBD. The trial will be observed by cameras to “monitor lane filtering behaviour at intersections and also detect whether traffic movement improves,” Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay said. “The NSW Police CBD Motorcycle Response Team, recently funded by Transport for NSW, will be policing the intersections to ensure road rules are still being adhered to.” The trial will be confined to the area bound by Sussex St, Market St, St James Rd, Macquarie St, Alfred St and Hickson Road and there are rules. • Riders can only move through stopped traffic at intersections • No filtering in the gutter lane or turning lanes • You must not cross the stop-line • You must stay within a lane • No weaving through moving traffic   Its a good start for us here in Australia.

'Triumph puncture repair, French village 1954'. The backstory ; Four English engineers with one wife toured Europe in 1954 and took a series of high quality b/w photos. This was a Europe still slowly recovering from the ravages of World War II. More from Ken Craven collection. Lake Como 1962.

As much as I do love the Bandit. The Bonnie is a favorite of mine. This very fine example has got the wheels in my head turning at light speed trying to work out how I can get one. Ha if only.

Today Jan and I rode to Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains. We rode down the boring F3. We detoured to MCAS so I could buy and Open Face Helmet. Bought a RJays Tomcat. Then we rode up the boring M4. We where on our way to meet friends of Jan's. Linda and John. Linda was showing her art at The Olde Block Factory Gallery in Faulconbridge. Could not take photos inside of the exhibit. Thats naughty. We had tea.  We fought lions. Then went to Lawson Pub for lunch.  Then back to Linda and Johns place at Bulburra.  John owns this. It has 15k kms on it. He did have a pristine Honda 900 Bol D'or before this one.  Then we rode home.

Bought some 3M cable routers today and fixed up the chain oiler line. It now puts oil a whole lot closer to the front of the sprocket.