Motoguzzimackers' Moto Guzzi Diaries

Travelled to Tahbilk Winery, near Nagambie, with the Moto Guzzi Club to celbrate 30 years of the Club and 90 years of Moto Guzzi.  Those guys and girls sure move, so we followed up the rear.  Lunch at the winery and a tour before heading off to the Highlands Caravan Park for a BBQ and drinks.

Congregating at the MAD Gallery, lancefield.

Next morning we all sped off to yea for brekky, then home by routes various.

Brekky at Marmalade's, Yea.

Went down to Curdie Vale, near Warrnambool, for the Laverda Club’s annual Boggy Creek rally at the Boggy Creek Pub.  Top crowd and blues band.   The whole state is green from the heavy spring and summer rains.

Went for a spin out west.  Turned back early, at Clunes, due to the number of cars coming from our intended route that we observed  covered in locusts.

Grass fire had just been stomped on by the CFA

With the daughter on leave from the RAAF and with her newly-minted bike licence, we all took a fang to Newstead for coffee.

Guzzi, Duke and Hyosung in Newstead

The caravan park had been evacuated here a few weeks ago due to floods.

Just spent 6 weeks in England.  Visited London in the first wee, staying at Kensington.  Did the full tourist thing.  The Big Bus Tour pointed out the location of our one-time governer Bligh, so I dropped in to pay my respects while walking up to the Imperial War Museum.

Then we toured the Avon/Kennet canal on a narrow boat for 4 weeks, mooring in Bath, Bristol, Bradford and Devizes amongst others.  Walked up to the white chalk horse on the Vale of Pewsey and visited the stone circle at Avebury.  We hired our boat from Sally Narrowboats in Bradford – highly recommended.

In the final week, we stayed with friends near the Isle of Wight.

Weather’s been a bit user-unfriendly, so took a burn on the Stone around Hanging Rock and stopped at the MAD Gallery in Lancefield for a coffee.  John makes fantastic coffee, but you have to let him take his time.

Took a quick run up to Bendigo for a coffee.  On the way back, we stopped in at the Duigan memorial on Burke and Wills Track, between Lancefield and Mia Mia.  There were commemorative events there recently for the 100th anniversary of John Duigan’s flight – the first in an Australian-built and designed aircraft.  Duigan won the Military Cross flying with the Australian Flying Corps in France during WW1.

I don’t think the track has been updated since Burke and Wills passed through in1860.

Did a 300k run around central Victorian goldfields.  The temp was 7C when I left; it struggled up to 8C abeam Castlemaine, and 10C at Dunolly, where I stopped for a coffee.   Two hours on the road, with heated grips on, I was perfectly warm.  The range and comfort of the Breva 1100 is ideal.

I stopped at Carisbrook to check a monument that I passed many times before:

On the way home it rained and the temperature dropped to 6C (at 2.30pm!).  With the Michelin Pilot dual compound tyres, the greasy road wasn’t even noticeable.

Excellent day out.

Spent 2 days fanging around during a bloody cold long weekend.  Recently had the heated grips fitted to the Breva and they’re worth their weight in gold.  Temperatures got down to 5C in the Black Forest near Trentham.  Below 10C I found that I really needed the grips on the highest setting.  Only a week or so from the shortest day and it felt like it; really notice the temperature start to drop from 1330 after it struggled up to 11-12C.  Great riding, though – clear and no wind.

Made a quick trip to Beechworth in north-eastern Victoria.  Fanged over to Mansfield, then the great trip over the ridge to Whitfield and the King Valley.  Temperature dropped to 8C over the top, with cloud patches on the cliff where the power lines march up and over the ridge.  There are no safety rails here, and we had the interesting experience of being in freezing cloud, while there was sunshine only a hand’s-breadth away.  Passed the ubiquitous 4WD right in the tight hairpins!  Lovely fang up the King Valley, past the wineries, then into Beechworth.  Stayed at the Old Priory, not doubt once filled with young nuns taking cold showers.  But I digress…

Ate at Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel in the main street.  Good food and beers from the Bridge Road Brewerey on tap.  Ooh, yeah.

Next morning we descended through fog to the Whorouly Grocer’s for breakfast.

The Ducati was now rather low on fuel, and the Oxley servo was shut!  (The Breva is fantastic here because of its 22L tank.)  We made it to the Golden Arches on the freeway near Glenrowan with 1.5 L remaining – assuming the tank was full in the first place!

Home via Violet Town – what!, no statue to Killing Heidi! – and then via Colbinabbin and Heathcote, where I saw my first Breva 850.