Motoguzzimackers' Moto Guzzi Diaries

Spent six days touring south-eastern Australia.  Tracked out via Poweltown to overnight at Maffra – got drenched a few kays out.  The following morning it rained all the way through Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance.

Fined up for the run to Orbost and Cann River.  Black clouds over the ranges towards Bombala threatened.

But we managed to run through the passing thunderies and stayed dry.  Lovely road up through the ranges then a flat-out blast on the NSW side where it opened up with big, looping curves.

Stayed at the Heritage, a pleasant converted bank in Bombala, and parked our bikes at the adjacent owners house under cover.

Set off for Nimmitabel but 5 kays out of Bombala the Duke came to a halt.  Would start but not run, and the engine management light was on.  After some futile phone calls to Ducati, ended up freighting the bike to Canberra.  You can achieve so much with a Visa card and a mobile phone!

Doubled up on the Breva for the run to Nimmitabel and Cooma, lovely roads again, now in sunshine, Ducati owner cursing her lack of a bike at every bend.  Overnighted at the bike-friendly Alpine Hotel in Cooma, which has undercover, lockable bike storage.

Doubled again for the run to Canberra, a surprisingly interesting ride, not the boring highway we’d expected.  Visited daughter and lunched at the Gypsy Caravan, famous for the Brodburger.

Jane flew home, so I continued up through Yass and Gundagai for the south-bound run.  Turned down to Tumut then Batlow, through winding, hilly terrain.  The memorial is for all the boys from the Union Jack school who died during the Great War

On to Tumbarumba then Corryong, the Snowy Mountains always visible to the south east.  The “Southern Cloud” crashed there in 1931 and wasn’t discovered until 1958, our first airline disaster.

Excellent ride from Tumbarumba to Corryong where I stayed the night.  Then onto Bright with plenty of road works due to recent heavy rain, including one section that had collapsed into the adjacent creek:

…and past the now-full Lake Hume which was empty only a few months ago, when the drought broke.  It looked like an inland sea:

Tracked via the Tawonga Gap with its views over the Kiewas Valley and Mount Beauty:

..then to Mansfield via Whitfield (very difficult to find a spot for a photo):

Finally, home via a coffee stop at Yea.

The Breva 1100 easily covered Gundagai – Bright, and Bright – Lancefield on one tank each.  A geat tourer.

Update:  the Ducati problem turned out to be a spark plug.  The plugs had been replaced a few weeks earlier at the 24,000km service and the bike had not been it’s normal sparkling self since, despite being returned for another check.  Ducati City in Melbourne had declined to resolve the issue and blamed the non-standard Staintune mufflers, despite there being no problem previously.

When the plug was removed it had a gap half of what it should be and was cracked.  The Canberra tech reckoned that it had been dropped but screwed into the engine anyway.  We told Ducati City but they couldn’t have cared less.  We haven’t been back to Ducati City since.

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.